Heads Will Roll
by nobleignominy
Summary: After being ambushed in enemy territory, Merlin is mortally wounded and Arthur has no choice but to allow a sinister witch to heal him.
1. Chapter 1: Siren

_Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. Also there is an OC in this, but she's not really paired with Merlin or Arthur, so hopefully that won't dissuade you from reading. Enjoy!_

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Chapter 1: _Siren_

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"There's a cabin, near the edge of the forest - Merlin, it's not far. Dear lord, now's not the time to pass out!" Arthur said, trying pour every bit of condescension into his tone as possible. It came out sounding anxious and melodramatic. Merlin was slipping away. With every step the horse took, Merlin's life was leaving him. Arthur implored the horse to go faster, refusing to let Merlin die. It would be his fault. His fault that his most trusted servant had been killed.

"It's just over the bend, you see that, dollophead?" Arthur said, squinting his eyes to see the smoke billowing from the small house's front. He wasn't exactly certain where they were, somewhere at the edge of Malorne Forest was the only thing he could guess, the very edge of Camelot. He had no idea people actually lived out here - Malorne was one of the most dangerous forests in Camelot, if not _the_ most. "Hang in there, mate," he muttered, kicking a heel into the horse's side.

Twenty minutes later, Arthur got down from his horse. Merlin was still unconscious, so he did his best to carry him over his shoulder. He was a tad heavier than he looked, considering how malnourished Merlin tended to seem. "Is anyone here! Hello? I need help!" he shouted. The place was quiet, unattended. There was a fire going in front of the home, it smelled as though something were being cooked. He didn't care. He lumbered into the home with Merlin on his back. If whomever owned the place came back, he would explain then, there was no time for politeness, not that Arthur ever bothered with that as it was.

He had placed Merlin on a well worn bed in the corner of the sad little abode, found an assortment of bandages and set about mending the gaping hole in Merlin's stomach. Unfortunately, Arthur was not exactly a skilled physician and Merlin's wound was grave indeed. He'd already succumbed to fever and Arthur was worried it was too late. He took a cool rag he had found and mopped the sweat from Merlin's head before throwing it to the ground in frustration. Why had he insisted Merlin come with? The servant was not a knight, he could barely wield a sword. Things just went better when Merlin went along. Merlin always seemed to know how to fix things. Arthur didn't understand the hows or whys, but he'd never really questioned it. Hanging his head in his hands, he sighed heavily knowing there was nothing more he could do.

He leaned forward and stoked the small fire he had started in the oven. He didn't hear the footsteps behind him, but he certainly felt the cool blade that was suddenly at his throat.

"Who are you?" came the cold voice of a woman.

"I apologize, miss, I - my friend was badly injured and no one was around, I needed to tend to his wound," Arthur explained, irritated he had let a woman catch him off his guard, he tried to turn around slowly, but the knife's edge cut into his throat as he did so.

"I said, who are you?"

"Arthur - Arthur Pendragon, Prince of Camelot," he answered.

"Royalty, bet your 'ead would fetch a pretty penny," she said, he could hear the curl of a smile in her voice. Arthur clenched his jaw, not liking where this was going. She sounded neither threatened nor impressed by his identity. He had to bide his time though, before he took the dagger. He wasn't sure exactly what she was going to do yet. "What happened to your friend?"

"We were attacked by bandits. He ended up with an arrow stuck in his gut," Arthur said, swallowing, he continued. "He was trying to save me."

"How precious," she replied absently. She seemed to be deep in thought and took the dagger away from his throat, backing away. "Do not move, your highness." Arthur turned around. The woman was dressed in a dark green cloak, he couldn't quite see her face, but saw a messy brown braid streaked with white hanging over her shoulder. "I said," she pointed a shoddy crossbow at him, "do not move." Arthur, paused, hands up. This woman meant business, it seemed. Whomever it was, she was used to being threatened. She lived on the edge of Malorne forest, nearest Saxon territory he assumed, of course she was jumpy.

"I promise to leave once my friend is able-" he began, watching as she leaned over Merlin. Arthur's fist clenched as he worried what she might do. She seemed a cold old hag and he wouldn't put it past her to finish Merlin off. She raised his shirt to inspect the wound. Wrenching off the crudely done bandages, she threw them to the floor.

"That is quite a hole," she said. "I don't think he'll make it the night."

"What?" Arthur said, jumping up. The woman pointed the crossbow at him once more, but he ignored it. "Can't you do anything to help?"

"Why should I?" she replied, shrugging.

"Because I command you to. I'm the Prince-"

"Of Camelot. You're in Saxon territory, dear Prince, you have no power over me," she said, shrugging.

"Are you saying you will not help him simply because of who I am?"

"He looks like a servant."

"He's my servant, yes," Arthur said, seething in anger at this woman's audacity. Her voice was so cold and aloof, how could she simply not _care_?

"You care about him very much?"

"He's a very good servant. Yes."

"To what extent to you care for him?"

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, feeling more infuriated by the second. He would have been better off tending to Merlin in the forest. Every second he spent prattling away with this hag, Merlin was fading.

"Would you lay down your life for him?" What in the hell did she mean by that?

"Yes."

"Idiot," she replied. "I can heal him. But I'll need a few herbs, have you heard of peacebloom?"

"It's… a weed, I think," Arthur said.

"Quite right, go find me some. There is quite a lot at the bit of forest backing up to my property. I'll need at least six leaves," she said. Arthur frowned, but nodded as she nonchalantly threw the crossbow in the chair beside Merlin. He didn't know what she was playing at, but he obediently left the shack. "You're a tough one, aren't you, love?" he heard her mutter as he left, with a tenderness that caught him off guard.

Arthur scrambled around to the back of the hut, edging towards the forest and keeping his eyes on the ground in search of peacebloom. He knew nothing of herbs and remedies, but he was beginning to think that was an oversight. Perhaps he ought to venture down into Gaius's chambers more often. If this woman could cure a wound as grave as the one Merlin was sustaining, he would be indebted to her. Perhaps he would invite her to Camelot, introduce her to Gaius. That was only if she succeeded. He hoped to God she did.

The plant had been further into the forest than the woman had said, but he found it. Cutting some lose, he grabbed the freed leaves and ran back to the hut. As soon as he came close, he heard an unsettling string of syllables. He ran into the house and saw that the woman had her hands over Merlin's stomach, she breathed something foreign over him.

"Magic," he breathed, grabbing for his sword. Still chanting, the woman shot the crossbow at Arthur and it lodged itself through his chain mail into the wall, pinning him there. He struggled, "Stop it! I will have your head for this!" She finished up her spell and the wind whistled through the small shack, causing her hood to drop, revealing her face.

"You weren't supposed to see that," she said, grinning at him. She was far younger than he would have guessed, her skin smooth and spectral white. Her eyes were a vivid green, large and expressive, her nose small and shapely. She seemed to be quite beautiful - until she turned to face him straight on. The right side of her face carved into a grisly macabre pattern.

"You - what did you do to him?"

"I saved his life, you fool," she replied. "Uther has long kept you in the dark about magic, treating it as though it were evil. Magic is no more evil or good than fire. Magic is ambiguous - it is how it is wielded that dictates whether it is good or bad. Your father is a coward."

Arthur wrenched the arrow out of the wall and rushed the witch, jamming her into the opposite wall. "I will have you burned for this!" She continued smiling at him, an eerie smile, half ruined, half ethereal.

"Funny, before you had wanted my head. Which is it?" She paused. "It is a shame you do not think for yourself, Prince," she crooned softly. He did not understand how she could be so calm, or why he had not simply slit her throat. He clenched his jaw, glaring at her and pushing his sword more firmly into her stomach. "Your servant is not one hundred percent, but with the right remedies, he'll be able to walk in two days time," she continued, unfazed by Arthur's malice, if anything she was amused. Arthur looked back at Merlin who had suddenly begun to moan uncomfortably.

"Merlin?" Arthur said, releasing the witch and going to his friend's side. He lifted Merlin's shirt which revealed soft pink scar tissue, still on the mend.

"I told you, it's not perfect, but I was able to clean up his insides, keeping everything from bleeding out," the woman said, coming up behind him and kneeling beside Arthur. "By tomorrow he should wake up, the next day you'll be able to go home."

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"If you move him, the spell may fail and you'll be back where you started," she said, an irritating grin still on her face, as if the prospect tickled her. "I would have healed him properly, but my magic isn't particularly strong." Rinsing a wash cloth in a basin, she grabbed two bottles from a cupboard opposite and returned to Merlin's side.

"What is that?" Arthur said, giving the bottles an uneasy look.

"Something to help break his fever," she said, "nothing to do with magic. Promise." She tilted Merlin's head up slightly so that he could drink without choking. He sipped at the potion, but coughed, unable to get most of it down. "That's a good boy, a little more. Hand me that glass of water over there, sire," she continued, the title dripping with sarcasm. Arthur swallowed irritably, but did as she asked. "Don't want him getting dehydrated, do we?"

"What's that one for?" Arthur asked, pointing to the remaining unused bottle.

She picked it up, uncorking it ceremoniously, "This is for _me_." She took a long swig of what must have been mead. Once she was done, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and offered him the bottle, which he refused, though he regretted it after he'd done so. She left Merlin's side in favor of tidying up a bit and Arthur watched her, unsure of what to say to her. It was rare that he should be at a loss for words, but this woman had left him baffled.

Merlin was of no use, of course, out cold as he was. Arthur had placed his trust in this woman, a stranger who used magic, a stranger who did not seem to be in the slightest bit afraid of him. But then why should she? After all, Arthur was at her mercy while Merlin was in this condition. If he had happened upon her under different circumstances he would have had her arrested without hesitation.

"Who are you?" he asked, realizing he did not even know her name.

"I don't see what use my name will be to you. The people of Loxley have affectionately nicknamed me the Magpie of Malorn," Arthur's eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "No? What about the Sorceress Lucinda? The Witch Carrow?"He continued to shake his head. "I so hoped the tales might have reached Camelot's gets. Shame."

"Carrow? I've heard of a _Warlock_ Carrow, but it was said my father drove him into the arms of the Saxons," Arthur said. "It was said he laid a curse on Camelot and took to the Saxon way of life, breeding his own clan of barbaric warriors and biding his time. All stories and hearsay, of course."

The witch snickered. "Is that what it's been turned into? A tale of high treason and petty vengeance? How dull. I was hoping it would have twisted into something a little more _inbred._"

"Well you're certainly not the Warlock Carrow, all of that happened twenty years ago - you're not old enough," Arthur said.

"Oh what does age have to do with anything. I'm a witch, perhaps I shaved off the years with magic. Perhaps I stole a young girl's body and claimed it as my own. And then had a nasty run in with a blunt sword and a cattle prod," she said, picking up a kitchen knife and inspecting it carefully. She enjoyed her own musings. He supposed it was all she had to entertain herself, wasn't it? She was doing a brilliant job of making his skin crawl. He looked at Merlin as if expecting Merlin to jump up and ask to leave.

"For christ's sake, talking with you is about as useful as arguing with a brick wall," Arthur said, throwing up his hands and leaving the hovel.

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Making his way back outside the hut, he went to his horse. He wondered if he ought to leave Merlin here. That damn sorcerer might be on his way to Camelot, or in the very least terrorizing other villages. Arthur had been leading a patrol into the territory of Mercia on a diplomatic mission. Uther had sent him in hopes to forge some sort of union. After Cenred's near win last month, bloody skeletons popping up all over the place, Uther saw fit to mend fences.

But then his father never really _did _anything, did he? He just sent Arthur off to do the leg work with little concern as to what happened to him. Arthur sighed irritably, and grabbed the reins of his horse.

"Come on, mate, let's get you some water," Arthur said.

He led the horse into the back of the woods where he had thought he'd heard water earlier. A brook or a creek he had hoped. The sun was beginning to dip below the trees and he recalled some of the grimmer stories of the forest.

"Oi! Don't go too far, love, trees like to move," the witch shouted at him, leaning out of the door of her hut. She gave him another of her amused little grins and disappeared back inside. He sneered at her angrily.

Ignoring her warning, he edged into the forest in search of water for his horse, which didn't seem too keen on following him inside. "Come on, you great brute, aren't you thirsty?" It whinnied at him, stomping its feet crossly. Arthur's jaw clenched and he finally decided to stop forcing him. "Alright, fine. You stay here, what do I care if you die of thirst?"

Arthur continued into the forest. He didn't see what was so big a deal about this forest. It looked like any other. Trees and rocks and dead leaves, a few larger stones for character. He only had to walk for about five minutes until he found a small stream, gurgling happily. Cupping his hands, he gathered a bit of water to refresh him. Splashing a bit onto his face, he frowned. The stream was suddenly darker and almost soupy. He dipped a finger into it and saw that the water had gone thick and red.

"Blood?" Arthur fell back, aghast. He clutched at the sword at his side, straining his ears for sounds of danger. He heard nothing and saw even less. Crawling back to the stream, he saw that it had cleared again. He looked at his hands - clean. Getting to his feet, Arthur headed back in the direction he'd come, towards the witch's hut.

He had found his way easily enough - the trees hadn't moved. The stream must have simply been his eyes playing tricks. It had grown dark as he got back to the hut, his horse was lapping up water out of a bucket the witch must have set out for him.

"If you were so powerful, why the hell are you here?" Arthur said from her doorway. He had been watching the witch for only a moment as she wiped the sweat from Merlin's brow.

"I already told you I'm not powerful," she replied stoically, returning to her feet.

"Powerful enough to cheat death," he retorted. "Why am I not killing you?"

"I'm sure it's because you're terrified of me," she said, shrugging. "The real question is why aren't you returning to Camelot now? Send someone to retrieve your servant ought to be reporting home to daddy, informing him of these dreadful criminals who attacked you." Arthur crossed his arms, wondering if she didn't have the ability to read minds as well. "Did this jolly band of thieves have a name?"

"I don't know, we didn't stop to chat when they ambushed my patrol," he snapped.

Walking over to him, she closed the space between them. Hands on her hips, she stood up on her tiptoes so as to get right in his face. Arthur resisted the urge to take a few steps back. "Your highness, I would appreciate a civil tongue under my roof. The state of your servant is a clear indication that I mean you no harm, however if you continue to snap at me then I will turn both of you out without hesitation. Is that clear?" Arthur's jaw clenched and he avoided her eyes.

"Yes."

"Good. I'm making soup for dinner. Would you like some?" she said, voice brightening suddenly. Perhaps she was mad.

"You're right. You are terrifying," Arthur replied, taking this moment to fall into a seat. Arthur was uncomfortable, but for the moment this witch had him by the stones. She smiled at this, but made no more fuss at the state of his manners. Instead, she gathered a basket from the corner, Arthur leaned forward to peer into the basket. Inside were an assortment of carrots and mushrooms, which she laid on the table.

"Chop these finely," she said, placing them on the battered wooden table in front of Arthur as she got up to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be back in a moment," she assured him. Arthur looked at the vegetables curiously. The mushrooms he thought looked questionable. Merlin had said the ones with white spots were poisonous, he picked one of them up and inspected it. It had white bits, but would you call those spots? He glanced at Merlin, who was still thoroughly unconscious. Arthur reached for one of the woman's knives and began to chop them to the best of his ability. But Arthur was used to hacking and slashing. Food took more patience.

"I thought knights were supposed to be skilled with a blade," she said, carrying with her a skinned rabbit. She grabbed a butcher's knife from the rack behind Arthur and sat down on the opposite end of the table, and began to chop the hare into appropriate sizes. Arthur swallowed hesitantly, still trying to decide whether he would even eat what she gave him. Certainly she hadn't killed Merlin yet, but Merlin was so _harmless_ looking and she had already shown such distaste in Camelot. Murdering the Prince regent would surely amuse her to no end.

"I thought witches could simply conjure food out of thin air," he retorted. She smiled at him and they sat in silence for a few minutes, each tending to their part of the meal. She avoided his eyes, but Arthur couldn't help but find himself studying the damaged portion of her face. Why didn't she heal herself? Why the hell did she live out here on the edge of that godforsaken forest? Why the hell did he care?

"Ask me, then," the witch said finally, sighing as she stood up to get stoke the fire under a cauldron of boiling water. She dropped the hare into the pot and on top of that added seasonings before she went to collect Arthur's haphazardly sliced vegetables.

"Ask you what?"

"But what happened to your face!" she said gesturing melodramatically. It was as every movement was carefully thought out to entertain and amuse. But who was her audience?

"I didn't think to bother. You wouldn't give me a name, that seemed too personal to dare," he said haughtily.

"Carrow. Just call me Carrow," she replied.

"Carrow is a surname," he said. "I think you're the one who instigates all the rumors about yourself."

"No I don't. I stir them along, but I don't _instigate_ them," she said. She gave the soup a stir, taking care to add a few extra herbs and spices.

Arthur rolled his eyes as he grew visibly more annoyed with her. "It's like talking in circles, I swear. Fine, Carrow, do tell what happened to your face? Why do you live out here by yourself? Why did you help Merlin?"

Carrow chortled at his frustration. "You're a pompous little twat," she said. "But one of my more entertaining guests." Biting the inside of his cheek, Arthur did not return the sentiment. She was the most infuriating person. Magpie, indeed.

"It was true that my father was driven into Saxon territory, but he was murdered before he was able to find a home. They hadn't realized that my father had a wife and two children - my brother and myself. He'd used what was left of him to transport us to safety," she began, stirring the soup and then finding her seat.

"By magic?" Arthur asked.

She laughed. "Oh yes, a magical flying carpet." Arthur frowned at her, he didn't know why he should expect her to be serious for a moment. "No, the usual way - horse. Sent us ahead to the next village. But we were overtaken by criminals. Thieves. My brother was older, told me to run while he tried to fight them off. They killed him. Mum was lovely, I think they dragged her off. I just… ran," she said. She sounded completely detached from what she was saying, which made Arthur suspicious of its truth.

"I was found by a farmer on his way home from the market. Walter. He brought me home with him, he and his wife had always wanted a child - never could, I believe Moira was barren. Lovely people. Stayed with them until I was sixteen. Got in a spot of bother there with a couple of the village boys," her eyes sparkled at this, as though the memory amused her."

"I used to be lovely. And Walter and Moira spoiled me terribly. My personality suffered for it. I got it in my head it would be fun to string along the boys, Gerald and honestly you know I don't remember the other one's name. I had barely discovered my magic then, didn't understand there was power in words… I think I may have enchanted the two boys. Drove them mad." Arthur suddenly recalled his first inclination to kill her. From the sound of this story he didn't know what was keeping him.

"The other one, lovely dark curls, got violent. His parents decided it wasn't _him_, but me that caused this irrational behavior. They called me a witch. You know what happens when you say witch in a small village, of course," she said, a nostalgic smile coming upon her face. "Hysteria, panic. But it was different there, they don't like to kill their witches. What if they needed them for later? So they marked me," she said, pointing to the crude engravings on her face, "and sent me away. Come around every time they need their crops blessed, threatening to empty my gullet if I don't oblige."

Arthur's crisp blue eyes hardened as she told the story, unsure if he felt pity or revulsion. "Barbaric," he said. She got a good laugh out of this.

"No more barbaric than a quick burning at the stake. Though I suppose it is a little hypocritical. But do you really like that story or should I have gone with my foundling tale? I couldn't tell which would get a better rise out of you." Arthur's eyes widened at this and anger started to boil in his veins, but his retort was interrupted.

"Gai-Gaius?" came the strained voice of her second guest, drawing both she and Arthur's attention away from each other. Carrow got up and went to his side, a look of surprise on her face.

"What's-Where are we? Arthur?"

"Merlin, you're just in time for soup," Carrow said, a warm smile on her face. Merlin frowned up at her, confusion in his eyes.

"So kind of you to join us, Merlin," Arthur said, patting Merlin's knee patronizingly. Merlin tried to sit up, and Carrow helped him slightly. "Do me a favor - never save my life again. You're bloody awful at it."

"Oh don't you worry, I'll never make that mistake again," a grin spreading on his face which soon turned into a wince as he grasped his stomach. "Who's this?"

"This is… Carrow, she's saved your life," Arthur said.

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_So that would be the end of chapter one. I'd love to hear your thoughts!_


	2. Chapter 2: Spectre

Chapter 2: _Spectre_

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Arthur fell asleep soon after dinner. Merlin had the bed so he was left to cuddle up with the softest bit of floor he could find. He was woken several hours later by the sound of talk outside the hovel. It was still dark outside and Arthur took pains to wake himself. He glanced over at the bed and saw that Merlin was still fast asleep. Carrow was nowhere to be found. He hopped up from his place on the floor, grabbing his sword from beside him. Edging nearer to the door, Arthur peaked slightly outside to see who it was.

"They came this way, witch."

"Of course they did, you baboon. That's their horse, innit?" Arthur heard Carrow reply. His grip tightened on his sword as his mind raced for how to escape. He could see at least a half dozen men outside. He'd have better luck clawing through the opposite wall of the hut than fighting all those men on his own. "The blond git decided the woods would be his best bet when I threatened to shoot him if I found him lurking on me property again. You know how horses are - it wouldn't go in. You're welcome to follow in after 'em, though."

Arthur's eyes widened as he realized that Carrow was trying to throw them off their trail. Their leader pushed her to the ground, Arthur resisted the urge to charge at him, keeping to the side of the door. There was still a fire burning steadily in the pit in front of her home, it illuminated Carrow's distorted face, a strained smile still enduring.

Merlin suddenly groaned from the bed. Arthur leaned over him to cover his mouth, hoping he'd wake up. Merlin's eyes darted open fearfully.

"Lovely home, you've got here, witch," the bandits' leader said.

"Oh stop it. It's fallen' apart, I need a man to help me fix it up," Carrow replied. "So many projects, holes and leaks to fill, you know?" She had gotten slightly louder at that. Arthur heard footsteps getting closer to the door. Merlin pushed Arthur off of him and sat up, wincing as he did so.

"Well, sometimes you've just got to get a clean slate. Start fresh, you know?" the leader said, he sounded like he was about to step inside the house. If he did, Arthur would be happy to gut him, though he was hoping it wouldn't come to that. He didn't fancy a seven on one.

"Arthur, she was talking to us, look," Merlin hissed, struggling to swing himself out of the bed. He limped to where the cauldron was sitting. He hadn't noticed that the stones in the floor were lose, earlier, Arthur had thought them part of the stove. Merlin began shoving them out of the way as quietly as possible. Arthur saw that it was actually one big hole, a small tunnel leading out from the house. Merlin scooted in first and Arthur followed after him, hesitating only for a moment.

"Burn it down!" the leader roared, his men cheered and jeered. Arthur's eyes widened and he went in after Merlin just as the door was kicked in. The tunnel collapsed behind him and he and Merlin succumbed to darkness.

####

They crawled for the better part of an hour. Arthur's stomach churning with guilt that he'd just left Carrow there. Neither of them had any idea where the tunnel would let out, but Carrow had obviously meant for them to take it. She wouldn't have dug such a thing if she hadn't planned on using it in such a way. She probably _hadn't_ dug it herself, he thought, probably more bloody magic.

He knew he ought to have gone back to Camelot when he'd had the chance. He should have just rode hard with Merlin. But there was no way the servant would have survived that. Carrow was probably being murdered or worse by those criminals.

"There's light ahead, Arthur," Merlin said from in front of him. Arthur was also worried that Merlin's guts might be trailing underneath them with all the crawling. Merlin hadn't yet complained, but that didn't mean he wasn't in trouble.

"Thank God," Arthur muttered.

"Ugh, I need help, half of it's caved in," Merlin said. Merlin hugged the wall so that Arthur could squeeze by and help him move the rubble. Moonlight streamed through the cracks as he and Merlin dug through. It took a solid fifteen minutes of work, but the managed. Arthur crawled out and lay flat on his back taking breath after breath of clean sweet air. Merlin followed behind him and lay next to him.

"Well that was rubbish," Merlin said, chest heaving.

"Your stomach still in tact?" Arthur asked.

"Looks like," Merlin replied, patting his stomach and then wincing as he did so. "I really could have used a couple more hours of sleep though."

"You and me both," Arthur said sighing and looking up into a dense canopy of trees. "Ugh, she let us out into that bloody forest."

"Do you think she got away?" Merlin asked grimly.

Arthur ignored the question and got to his feet. "There's nothing we can do about that now. Let's find our way out of the forest and get home. Sooner we get back to Camelot, sooner we can get back up and collect those bastards." Arthur's conscience was busily warring with itself over whether or not to go back for Carrow. He glance back where they'd come, squinting and trying to make out something through the trees. He didn't see any fire, couldn't hear anything either.

Sliding his sword back into his scabbard, he began heading west. At least what he thought ought to be west.

"Arthur it's too dark, we're just going to get lost," Merlin said, also struggling to his feet. Arthur shook his head, but recalled what Carrow had said about the trees moving. She was just trying to frighten him, that was how she was, he was certain. Trees didn't _move._

"They could be right behind us, Merlin, if we get caught then what Carrow did for us will have been for _nothing,_ you understand?" Merlin opened his mouth like he was about to argue, but closed it again at the look of resolve in Arthur's face. Arthur turned around, nodding. "Right then, west."

####

"Damn it, does it ever get light in here?" Arthur said under his breath.

"I suppose it wouldn't be called the darkest forest in Camelot if it did, Arthur," Merlin said.

"Thank you, Merlin, for that." Arthur stopped a moment, he thought he heard something following them. "Merlin, what do those elephant ears of yours hear?" Merlin, who had been more or less sleepwalking for the past hour, ran headfirst into Arthur's back.

"The gentle gurgling of a brook I hope," Merlin said, rubbing his temple.

"No, not the water… something else. Follow me," Arthur said, lowering his voice. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard a child crying. Incidentally, both the child and the water seemed to sound like they coming from the same direction. Arthur sped up and Merlin clumsily followed after. He kept forgetting that Merlin was fighting off the damaging effects of being gutted by an arrow. "Hurry up, Merlin."

Bounding through the woods, the sound of the child grew louder. They reached a clearing and Arthur saw the child. A little boy. He was dressed in rags, his face filthy and tear stricken. His messy blond curls shook as he looked up at Arthur and Merlin. "Merlin, it's a boy," Arthur whispered.

"I can see that, clotpole," Merlin said haughtily, bent over to catch his breath. Arthur drew nearer to the child, hoping not to scare the kid off. Arthur was not terrific with kids, he hoped that Merlin would be. Merlin's goofy face looked like something out of a storybook, it would probably work wonders.

"Hello there," Arthur said to the boy.

"Be… careful, Arthur," Merlin whispered at him.

"I'm Arthur, what's you're name?"

The child sniffled, wiping his nose sadly with the back of his hand. "M-my name's Thomas. Do you know where my m-mummy is?"

"No, Thomas, I'm sure we could help you find her though… which way did you come from?"

"Arthur, I don't think this is such a -"

"Merlin, shut it. There must be a village nearby, the kid just got lost," he said, glaring at his servant. Leave it to Merlin to be able to upset a child. Tears were still leaking down Thomas's face silently, but the kid did put out a hand for Arthur to take. Arthur glanced at Merlin who seemed to be looking at the boy with nothing but suspicion.

Arthur took the boy's hand and the boy smiled at him slightly. "I'll show you."

They weren't walking for ten minutes when Arthur's ears pricked again and he stopped. "Merlin, did you hear that?"

"_That_, I heard, sire," Merlin said, nodding. There was creaking coming from the trees, but the boy continued on quite purposefully, as though he knew exactly where he was going. "Thomas, did you come from a village?"

"Yeah! My sister and daddy's there. Mummy went into the forest to gather mushrooms… I followed when I shouldn't have and couldn't find her," Thomas said. "See! Right through here is the village, a short tunnel and we're out!" Arthur frowned. Thomas seemed to have led them to the mouth of a cave. He peered in and noted that it didn't really look like a short cave. But everything in the forest was dark. The early morning sun barely shone through the trees.

"I think we ought to find a way around," Merlin said wearily. Arthur glanced at Merlin and the cave and found himself agreeing.

"But this way's quicker!" the boy argued.

"No wonder it's been taking me so long to find you two!" came a familiar voice from behind them. "Zigzags all over the forest and then being led away by a bloody spectre to boot!"

"A what?" Merlin said. Arthur's eyes widened as Carrow came up beside the boy and grabbed him around the neck, forcing him into the cave entrance wall "What the hell are you doing, Carrow?"

Arthur yanked out his sword and held it an arm's length from her neck. "Put the boy down, you batty witch!" He had no clue what her game was, but if she was willing to hurt a child, his conscience was no longer stinging from leaving her behind. The boy struggled in her grip, crying something fierce.

"Oh but it's not a boy," Carrow said, peering into Thomas's eyes gleefully. Arthur took a step closer to Carrow, letting his blade dig ever so slightly into her neck. She turned to look at him.

"I said put the boy down."

"I don't think so, Arthur. If you'd followed it into that cave you would have ended up falling into some sort of precipice or getting lost for days, ultimately starving to death, am I right, little one?" she said, jamming the boy into the wall fervently. His tears stopped abruptly and a smirk found his lips.

"I do love it when they starve," he said. Arthur's eyes widened at the reply and took his sword off of Carrow's neck.

"You know the rules, I get a question answered, don't I?" Carrow said. Arthur very much would have liked to know what was going on, but he felt now was a good time to keep his mouth shut for once. Merlin leaned against the cave wall, his expression mirroring Arthur's.

"Bit hard to breathe, milady. Let me go and surely I'll answer you one," the boy - _it_ said. Carrow grinned at it and took her hand from its throat. Arthur took care to hold the sword to it in case it tried to get away, though he was getting the feeling that wasn't how this worked.

"Right, right, but what to ask?" Carrow said, crossing her arms and pacing wonderingly. She was on stage again and Arthur's patience was wearing thin. He was hungry and exhausted and he was sick of her silly little games. "I know!" she said, her gaze suddenly darkening from its usual cheeriness to the cold, aloof one he had played witness to when they first met the previous day. "Tell me where to find Keldor."

It laughed at that. A hollow laugh that didn't match its costume. "Oh do come up with a better one than that, you already asked my sister - took her life for the answer she gave."

Carrow clutched its shoulder and dug in her finger nails, it grimaced. "Then give me a better answer."

"Keldor is dead! If not dead then in a place you cannot follow, witch!" it replied. Carrow's grip seemed to intensify and she pulled out a dagger from the folds of her cloak. It only laughed. "Just because it is not what you would want to hear does not mean it isn't true! Try the spirit realm, witch!" With that, it kicked Carrow back into Arthur, who caught her around the middle. She pushed herself off him and ran after the thing, stopping short when she realized it was pointless.

"What the hell was all that?" Arthur asked, gesturing at the thing with his sword. She didn't answer straight away, but seemed to be transfixed by the sound of footsteps rushing through the forest. Arthur walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Even he could sense that there was something very wrong with her.

It took her a second to sense his hand, but she looked at him with a watery smile.

"That, my uneducated friends, was a spectre!" Her voice cracked slightly. "How's that gaping hole of yours, string bean?" She said, ignoring Arthur and heading over to Merlin who was still leaning against the side of the entrance.

"Fine, fine. I'm really more concerned with what a _spectre_ is," Merlin said, flinching away from her as she tried to lift his shirt for inspection again. "Really, Carrow, it's fine." Carrow swatted away his hands and lifted his shirt.

"Damn it, it's all bruise-y again. Sit down, Merlin," she said seriously. Arthur edged over to have a look at Merlin's stomach and scowled. Most of it had become an ugly shade of purple and red, the edges tinged a disgusting yellow. "Arthur, could you go find us some -"

"If you're just trying to get rid of me so you can do magic in private, just shut up and get on with it. I don't need him dying after all this," Arthur said.

"Yes, sweet prince, but you're putting me off. Can you at least turn around?" Carrow said. Arthur looked at her incredulously. He couldn't tell if she was being serious or putting him on again. Knowing her, it was very likely the latter. In spite of this, he turned around. He half expected her to magically teleport the two of them out of the forest. He wouldn't put it past her. He heard her muttering in that odd foreign language again and couldn't help but turn slightly to look. Carrow held both Merlin's hands in hers, her eyes were closed and she was whispering at him. The really odd thing was that Merlin seemed to be at it, too. Arthur's eyes widened.

"What - can he do magic now, too or something?" Arthur blurted, unable to keep quiet. Carrow finished what she was saying and then turned around.

"What? No, don't be silly. I told him that it helps me if he repeats after me, to channel his energy - helps him heal. Would have gone better earlier if he'd been awake, too," Carrow replied, rubbing her hands together and then stumbling slightly. Arthur rushed forward to help steady her. "Hmm, head rush. Anyway. You wanted to know about spectres?" Arthur narrowed his eyes at her and then glanced at Merlin who was busily inspecting his stomach again, which had gone back to being a touch too rosy.

"What are they?" Merlin asked.

"Annoying little creatures. They appear as anything that might appeal to you, that you might sympathize with. Then proceed to lead you into all sorts of unwelcome situations until you're good and lost. They think it's grand fun," Carrow said, shrugging. "And actually it might be. I've considered trying it a couple times. I get bored, too. Hint: if you see your favorite aunt in the middle of an eerie forest, it's probably not your aunt. " Arthur rolled his eyes at her, irritated with her constant state of play.

"How come you got to ask it a question?" Merlin pressed, trying to get her back on track.

"Oh, well that's their game. If you discover you've been had, they pay you with an answer. Any question you can think of, they answer it honestly. Supposedly," she said, her eyes darkening again.

"Yes, but how do they _know_ the answer?" Arthur asked.

"How should I know? I'm not a bloody mind reader," she said, shrugging. "Honestly I think they're full of cock at the moment. Now I can't even remember where we are, you two have gone and gotten me all discombobulated with your ridiculous oscillating pattern. I _warned_ you the trees liked to move." Arthur bristled at this.

"Rubbish, I haven't seen anything move," Arthur said.

"Well you wouldn't, would you? They don't do it when you're looking!" Carrow got up and put her ear to a tree as if to listen. Arthur looked at Merlin, who had straightened himself. Merlin shrugged at him, a smile forming on his face. "Come on, my freaky darlings! This way!" Carrow clambered off in the opposite direction. She reminded Arthur of a doe. A very graceful, very psychotic doe.

"Do you think she's mental?" Arthur whispered at Merlin.

"I think she's brilliant. But yeah, probably a bit mental, too," Merlin said, "We need to ask her about Keldor. Arthur, I think we ought to help her. You saw her, she's got some sort of problem."

"No, Merlin. _No_. We don't have time for her nonsense. If she gets us out of here, that'll be grand, we'll take her to Camelot - "

"Have her burned at the stake by your father?" Merlin asked.

Arthur huffed. "No, Merlin but we can't -"

"Stop dawdling, you two!" Carrow called in an infuriating sing song voice. Merlin smirked at Arthur and then ran ahead to catch up with the bizarre woman.

##

_Thank you guys for the kind reviews! I really appreciate them!_


	3. Chapter 3: Walking With a Ghost

Chapter 3: _Walking With a Ghost_

( MERLIN'S POV )

##

Merlin leaned against a tree to catch his breath, Arthur coming up behind him, looked a little less worse for the wear. Merlin's wound was nearly completely healed now due to Carrow's remedy. She had, of course, lied about 'channeling his energy' to Arthur. She had whispered the spell in his ear and the two had worked together to mend it. At first he had been horrified that she knew. The woman was neither here nor there and he thought for sure she might let it slip to Arthur. Though, so far, she hadn't.

She had run ahead, this time to sniff the ground. They had been traipsing through the woods for nearly two hours and Merlin couldn't see that they had even made any progress. He was thinking of asking her if it might not be a better idea for him to do a guide spell and blame it on her. He would have if she didn't seem so enthused about talking to the trees.

"I think she's kissing that frog," Merlin said, scrunching up his nose in disgust. Carrow did indeed seem to be kissing a frog, then whispering to it, almost as though it were a lover. There were tales of frog princes, but Merlin was fairly certain this wasn't the same thing.

"She's either putting us on or some sort of dementia is settling in," Arthur said, catching his breath and watching Carrow with a frown on his face. Merlin was far more open to these sorts of things, so he could only imagine the time Arthur was having with it. "More likely the latter."

"This one says there's a lovely little brook nearby," she called to them. Merlin rolled his eyes as he saw her give them a wicked grin. She was certainly putting them on, and having a grand time of it. Merlin was still wondering if they should be trusting Carrow. Certainly she had saved them - three times now, but what if _she _was some sort of spectre? She still hadn't said how she'd gotten away from those brutes. In spite of this, Merlin couldn't help but return her smile. Arthur grimaced at him as he did so.

"I think Arthur needs a break, there, Carrow. He's wheezing back here," Merlin said. Arthur shoved him in the back.

"Brook's just around the corner, don't you hear it?" Carrow insisted, disappearing behind a tree.

"I think she's leading us in circles," Arthur muttered.

"I think she can hear you," Merlin said.

"So?"

Merlin shook his head and tried to catch up with Carrow. Arthur lagged behind, grumbling irritably under his breath as if this was all somehow to spite him. Merlin understood his irritation. Their diplomatic excursion had not really gone according to plan. Arthur had been leading and four men had been killed on his watch. Merlin so often was blinded by the Prince's unabashed pompousness that he forgot what sort of weight was on his shoulders.

"You're not going to tell him, are you?" Merlin asked Carrow as she paused once more to get her footing.

"Tell who what?" she said, distracted by the trail. She bounced off ahead of him again. He supposed he could take it to mean that she wouldn't. Either that or she had truly forgotten somehow. He'd be lying if he said she didn't _rankle_ him, too, at times.

As he was walking behind her, he thought he saw something in the distance. He stopped walking for a moment, rooted by a white glimmer in the distance. He squinted slightly to sharpen his vision. Without thinking about what he was doing, he began walking in the opposite direction. He thought it was a woman. She was dressed in white, a dress that seemed to glint in the dim sunlight that shone through the trees. Her face was covered by somber hands as though she were weeping.

There was an echoing in his head, that sort of feeling you get when your ears pop in high altitudes. Everything else, Arthur - Carrow, they seemed so far away suddenly and Merlin got the feeling he _needed_ to get to this woman.

"Merlin, what the hell is wrong with you?" Arthur said, slapping him upside the head. Merlin shook his head, able to snap out of whatever it had been. Carrow came back around, hands on her hips as she frowned at Merlin curiously.

"What? Oh, nothing I just thought I saw… something. It was nothing, let's go," Merlin said. Arthur sighed and made his way back up to Carrow who had already turned around.

They came to the brook Carrow had prophesied shortly thereafter where they could recuperate and take a short rest. Merlin bent down to take a drink from the brook. The water was blissfully frigid running down his parched throat. It felt good to sit, his feet were aching and blistered.

"I'm going to find some firewood," Arthur announced. "And hopefully something to eat." Merlin got the feeling it was an excuse to ignore Carrow for an hour or two.

"How much longer till we get out of here?" Merlin asked.

"Half a day if we keep up the pace," Carrow said, removing her silky green cloak revealing a curly mess of brown hair. There were streaks of grey in it, though Merlin doubted she was that much older than him. The damaged portion of her face alluded to age, but the unharmed half boasted youth. She tossed the cloak to the side and straightened the blouse. She was wearing trousers that must have belonged to a man, but the tunic was a soft purple which would only suit a woman.

"You saw somethin' earlier, what was it?" Carrow said, gathering a stick from the dirt and proceeding to etch some sort of symbol into the ground. Merlin's eyes narrowed as he watched her do it, he almost forgot she'd asked him a question.

"What? Oh, yes - a woman, I'm sure it was another one of those spectres," Merlin said, shrugging.

"No. That was somethin' else," Carrow said. She stood up and continued her etchings.

"Something else?"

"The forest doesn't like trespassers," she said cryptically. He realized why it was so annoying to talk with her. It felt like talking to the bloody dragon. Both seemed to be afflicted with the same aversion to straight answers. "Did you know you talk in your sleep, young warlock?"

"W-what?" _Could_ she read minds?

"Oh yes. At least when you're with fever. Murmurs o' the Old Religion. Nearly made a dagger fly in me head! That's when I knew I liked you," she assured him. Merlin raised an eyebrow. Gaius had told him that he sometimes muttered in his sleep, but he didn't think he'd actually _performed_ magic. He suddenly felt nervous of the idea.

Merlin shook his head. "Is there something following us?"

"Yes," Carrow replied. She paused in her drawing, then stamped the last line she had made and redrew it. "Arthur, love," she called suddenly. Merlin's heart leapt into his throat. He hadn't been completely sure that Arthur had been away, this talk of his magic. "Do you hear that?" she said, lowering her voice. Merlin's ears strained. There was something trailing along the leaves. It wasn't Arthur's firm stride, but a slithering. Like a cloak being dragged across the forest floor.

"That's what's following us," Merlin whispered.

Carrow nodded. "I shouldn't have let Arthur wander off," she said.

"He left five minutes ago, he won't be far."

"Even so," she said. She leapt up. "Stay here, Merlin." Her tone had gone serious again. He wanted to argue, but she had already disappeared around the trees. He frowned, suddenly feeling guilty. He was supposed to be protecting Arthur, doing a real bang up job the last couple of days, too. Another crash in the woods made him turn around abruptly, so abruptly he almost lost his footing.

There was a knight suddenly standing before him. His skin was mottled and wet, his face lined with nicks and cuts as though fish had been nibbling at him. He wore colors of black and red, Merlin wasn't sure what his crest was attributed to.

"Charge!" he screamed at Merlin, his voice deep and merciless. Merlin fell back into the leaves and shuddered. Without thinking he whispered a spell, he felt the magic sweep through him as his eyes glowed. A short burst of wind sent the knight flying backwards. Merlin scrambled to his feet and saw that the knight had simply blipped out of existence before he hit the ground.

Breathing hard, noticed the doodles that Carrow had been scraping into the earth. He recognized one of them. They weren't doodles but _runes_. Merlin's studies hadn't ingratiated him with that branch of magic quite yet, but he recognized one of them, Isa. It was that of ice and cold. He wasn't sure what good that would do. As he inspected the other three she had drawn, Carrow and Arthur showed back up, Carrow dragging Arthur along by the arm.

"What happened, Merlin?" Carrow said, letting go of Arthur's forearm to examine Merlin's face. Apparently there was a small cut on his cheek from having fallen.

He knocked her hand away, "Just a cut. There was a knight… Will you please just tell us what the hell is going on? Please?"

"I told you, the forest isn't happy," she said, sitting down. She grabbed up the stick again, trying to fix the runes Merlin had wrecked when he fell into them. Distracted in her own thoughts again, she seemed to forget that she was being spoken to.

"About what?" Arthur said, voice filled with exasperation. Merlin could see that vein in the side of his neck pulse when he was particularly angry. He was used to being on the receiving end of it.

"It's very old, Malorne. Older than your Camelot. It wasn't a forest then, but a field and a great lake. It was a paradise. A village rested there. The people prospered. But then the knights came, led by a terrible man who wanted to claim the area as his own. They slaughtered the people here, but there was one witch… one woman who's rage was able to thwart the army," Carrow said. Her voice was distant, her clear green eyes far away.

"She had gone away, you see, only to come back and find her home in ruins. She lost her temper and destroyed the place. In her wake she left a blight upon the land, a crater where the lake once was. She had been a druid once, peaceful - never used magic for violence. But the anger had been too great for her to control. The druids came back to the village to find it in ruins, but still very much alive with the spirits of those that had died. Angry spirits who murdered whomever came through. The druids built up the forest, then, in hopes of dissuading travelers to pass through here," she continued. "The witch disappeared."

"Carrow, are you that witch?" Arthur surprised him by asking. Merlin's jaw clenched as his eyes narrowed on Carrow, who didn't meet either of them. She didn't answer for a moment.

Then, she looked back at Arthur with a lopsided smile. "Don't be ridiculous," she said, pushing Arthur away and hopping down the bank of the brook. Merlin wondered her if her attitude had all been for show. She was chasing after a fish now.

"The story is true, my friends. They're here, all around us. Spectres flock here because of all the _activity._ The knight was just one example," Carrow said. After she bound up her tangled mane of hair, she rolled up the sleeves on her shirt in order to catch one of the fish. "Terrible ending to a story though, yeah? I hate that, when they just leave you hanging like that. Not fair."

"Earlier, when I was behind your… home," Arthur began, obviously struggling with a polite word for Carrow's hovel, "There was a stream. For a split second I was sure it was -"

"Blood?" Carrow finished, nodding. "That's one of their favorite gags. You just have to remember that they're dead. Most of them are stuck in loops, replaying the last moments of their lives. Depressing, innit?"

Arthur and Merlin looked at each other, both wondering the same thing. Was this another game? Was she somehow producing the images all on her own? Merlin didn't really think so, but he was worried that Arthur might and thus force him to abandon her. He truly thought that Carrow needed help, it was just getting it out of her. It was something to do with the forest, but Merlin doubted that she was going to answer them.

"Get a fire going, sweet prince. Be careful of the runes," she said, concentrating on her fish. Arthur surprisingly obliged without question. Perhaps he thought there was no use in it. He kept his eye on her as he did so.

Merlin helped him gather a few stray limbs. Evidently Carrow meant for them to have a spot of lunch. He didn't realize how hungry he was till he saw her wander over with a fish. "They've got to be cooked really well. They're always a bit sickly out here," she said. "That's why they're so easy to catch."

It was certainly a skinny little thing she brought them. But enough to get them through the day.

Fifteen minutes later the three of them were seated around a small fire munching on the saddest bit of fish Merlin had ever eaten. Arthur and Carrow had been going back and forth about the best way to cook it, Merlin wanted to say that Arthur had no idea what he was talking about, but thought better of it. The two seemed to be getting on even in their bickering, and Merlin didn't want to encumber the relationship.

"What are the runes? I know this one is Isa - ice," Merlin said absently, munching on his fish.

"More magic," Arthur huffed. Carrow ignored him.

"Isa, ice, frozen. Slows the spirits. Then there's Uruz for speed and strength… there's Ansuz for insight, helps communication. Kenaz - beacon. Together they're for protection. Staying in one place around here is dangerous. They're not extremely powerful, these runes. Part of newer magics, but I'm not very good with the very old stuff," she said, shrugging. Merlin nodded. His magic found power in the old religion, he could sense Carrow's power but only slightly. She wasn't lying when she said she wasn't particularly powerful.

"I know where we have to go now!" Carrow said suddenly, brightening at the idea.

Arthur nearly choked on his fish. "What, you mean you didn't know where we were going?"

"Yes and no. I allowed us to stop just get my bearings. I'm not all knowin', am I?" she said.

####

( ARTHUR'S POV )

"See, there we are. Safe and sound. Told you I'd find it," Carrow said the next day. They had several hiccups yesterday, one involving a ghost and another involving a wolf. It had attacked them, leaving Carrow with a broken arm and a new cut on her face. Arthur managed to kill it, though not quickly enough. Carrow seemed to be a bit irritated over it as well. Apparently she didn't think it right that he killed the damn thing. She seemed to be ignoring him now and he was surprised to find that this irritated him more than her roundabout way of talking.

Arthur blinked as he left the edge of the forest, his eyes adjusting to the sunshine. He hadn't realized just how dark the forest was until he got out into the light. "Thank god."

"Brilliant!" Merlin said, grinning ear to ear. "I - I think we're right near my village! Yeah, this is Fordham's wheat field!" Arthur looked around, hoping this meant that Merlin's village and a warm bed really were right around the corner. He looked at Carrow for a moment, then walked up to her. She frowned at him as though she might yell at him for the wolf again.

"I'm glad you lot made it out alive. I'd appreciate it if you came back to take care of the bandit infestation, though," she announced, before turning around as though she might go back, hugging her hurt arm to her chest, she began walking in the opposite direction.

"Hold on, where the hell do you think you're going?" Arthur said.

"Back home to survey the damage. I don't know if you recall, but they burned most of it down," Carrow said, stopping to face them again.

"Why are you going back at all?" Merlin said. "You should come with us, my mum would love to meet you. Besides, we owe you several massive favors."

"That's sweet, Merlin, love, but I really ought to be going," she said, suddenly preoccupied with a lose strand of hair which refused to stay behind her ear.

"Why don't you magic yourself better?" Arthur asked.

"Doesn't work like that, your highness," she said, shaking her head. He was tired of not understanding what she meant. She pecked Merlin on the cheek, muttering something in his ear before she walked up to Arthur.

"You've a good heart, Arthur Pendragon, don't let your funny little head get in the way of it," she said. Grinning slyly, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him square on the mouth, leaving Arthur both winded and confused as she walked in the opposite direction, ignoring Merlin's protests.

"We can't just let her go like that!" Merlin insisted. Arthur frowned and sighed, clenching his fists irritably.

"Yes, we can, Merlin," he said. Licking his lips curiously, Arthur turned away toward the direction of Merlin's village, leaving Merlin there dumbfounded at what had happened.

####

"I cannot believe we just let her go," Merlin grumbled at him for the hundredth time. They had spent the night at Merlin's house, his mother had been terribly hospitable. It had been very comfortable, but Arthur hadn't slept. His dreams had been plagued with visions of a little boy, the same as the one who's form the spectre in the forest had taken, but he was different. For one there was a mass of blood pouring down his face from where his eye ought to be. He kept asking after his mummy and the blood kept gurgling forth from his empty eye socket.

"Merlin, shut it," Arthur said.

"Fine, fine. You didn't sleep last night, did you?" the servant asked.

Arthur's lips pursed. He was growing impatient with Merlin's incessant questions.

"I heard you tossing and turning, muttering about Thomas in your sleep," Merlin continued. "You also mentioned Carrow a few times. Guilt getting to you?"

Arthur stopped his horse and turned it around. "Merlin, you'd do well to mind your own damn business. Look, you're free to stay here if you'd like. Servants are perfectly expendable," he said. Merlin scowled at him and trotted forward on his borrowed horse. Arthur rolled his eyes and followed along. He didn't know why he felt so uptight, but for the moment, everything seemed to irritate him.

They had at least three day journey ahead of them and that was without stopping. The trip should be easy though, thanks to Merlin's mother overstocking them with food and supplies. She had even repaired Arthur's tunic. Meeting with his mother, Arthur had felt somehow jealous of Merlin. His own mother had died in childbirth, leaving him with nothing but Uther. Arthur loved his father, but sometimes… sometimes he found himself resenting the man more than he cared for him. He wasn't even sure he _liked_ his father.

"You know I wonder if there's a way to free those spirits from the forest," Merlin said, breaking the hour long silence they had going for them. Arthur rolled his eyes, but was grateful that talk had at least turned away from him.

"If there is, it's probably to do with magic. Which we _aren't_ going to play with," Arthur said. He had no idea, of course, of what Merlin was capable of. Merlin's face fell and he continued to ride on glumly.

On the beginning of the second day of their journey home, Arthur ran into Sir Leon and another patrol of men, apparently on a search for Arthur.

"So nice that you were looking for us!" Merlin said sarcastically. Apparently the servant didn't appreciate that they didn't care about his safe return. Arthur laughed for the first time in two days. It was more a laugh of exhaustion than anything, though as he recalled the effort he'd gone through to make sure that funny eared little bastard came home safe. He didn't want to think what would happen if he came home without Merlin. Gwen would have certainly killed him.

"Sire, what news do you bring, what of the rest of your patrol?" Leon asked diligently.

"They didn't make it," Arthur said grimly. "_We _barely made it."

"Did you manage to get to Mercia, or were they who -"

"No, we were ambushed just as we got to the border. Not by Mercian soldiers, bandits. I'd like to send another two patrols back to find them," Arthur said seriously. He proceeded to update Leon on most of what had happened while he had been gone, careful to leave out Carrow's use of magic, though he felt like a hypocrite in doing so.

##

_Alright, so more of a segue chapter. Don't worry, that's obviously not the last of Carrow. Before you know it, Arthur will be obsessively perusing the Camelot's library to find out more of Malorne forest. Morgana's not the only one with with informational dreams!_


	4. Chapter 4: Inquiry

Chapter 4: _Inquiry_

##

_"Mummy? Have you seen my mummy?" A child places his head hopefully on Arthur's leg. He recognizes the boy, with his ruffled blond hair and filthy face._

_"Thomas?"_

_"I need to find mummy," the boy implores. Arthur looks around and sees that he's sitting inside a cottage, in a rocking chair. A fire roars in its hearth, flames licking hungrily at the sad remaining bits of wood. It crackles with warmth and the boy crawls into Arthurs lap and cups his hands to his face. "Do you know where she is?" _

_Arthur shook his head, "We can find her, though, I'm sure of it." Arthur removes the child's hands from his face, and scoops him onto his shoulders. He's small for his age, couldn't weigh more than a sack of potatoes. _

_Sweeping the child outside the cottage, a gust of wind catches them. Arthur inhales a gust of smoke, embers burn the back of his throat and cheeks. He tries to pull Thomas back into his arms, but he realizes the boy has gone. Vanished. _

_"Thomas!" _

_He turns around to see where the smoke is coming from, where the boy has gone. But he's only in a field. A wide, empty field. Desolate and forlorn. Arthur continues to call for the boy until he grows hoarse. _

_"Mummy said this is where they used to be," Thomas said, he was yanking on Arthur's finger. "She says we have to help them, she hears them. But he won't let them out."_

_"Who won't let them out?" Arthur said._

_"The bad man,. He did this to me," Thomas said. As he did so the boy's face was suddenly impaled by an arrow and Arthur jumped backwards, horrified. The boy stood there, an eerie smile working its way to his bloodstained face. He turned to look at Arthur, the arrow still sticking out from his face."I remember mummy crying. He made her watch. But then she was gone. I can't find her. You'll help me find her won't you?" _

_####_

"Morning, sunshine!" Arthur woke abruptly to Merlin's loathsomely cheerful face. He grimaced and dug his head back into the pillows as he tried to forget this latest variation on Thomas's demise. Lifting his head slightly to look at his servant with all the chagrin he could muster, Merlin's smile disappeared. "Ugh, you look terrible," Merlin said.

Arthur threw a pillow at him. "Get out. Don't come back without breakfast," Arthur said. Merlin didn't need to be told twice and left. Arthur sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes, yawning. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep in nearly two weeks. Gaius had prepared him the same draught that he had so often given to Morgana, but it wasn't doing any good. Not that Arthur really thought it _would_. It had never done her any good, why should he be any different?

Arthur got up and found his own clothes. He wasn't in the mood to have Merlin lurking about, asking him how he was doing, what did he dream about? Nosy cretin. Though Gwen had not been any better these last few days, always looking at him as though he might keel over at any moment.

Merlin shuffled back into his room ten minutes later with his breakfast. Arthur took a bit of bacon and shoved it into his mouth, cringing at the texture. Everything had begun to taste like sawdust. He dropped the bacon back on the plate.

"I know you've been needing to lose a few extra pounds, Arthur, but I don't know that this is the healthy way to do it," Merlin said, his attempt at wit not quite ringing as well as it usually did.

"Too much anxiety in your voice, Merlin. Piss poor job hiding it. I'm fine, alright? I just haven't been sleeping well, that's all." Arthur gathered a belt and his sword, he had to meet several prospective knights this morning and he was already rather late. "Just take the day off, Merlin."

Merlin stood there looking at him as though he'd just laid an egg. "Just a day, alright? Tomorrow the stables need to be mucked out and these shoes need to be mended." Arthur pointed at his feet and then offered him a smile. Merlin didn't seem quite appeased, but Arthur didn't care at the moment. He headed out of his bedroom and down the corridor, thinking, for a moment, of asking Morgana how she had coped.

Morgana had said that she hadn't had nightmares in months. Not since they'd rescued her. He hadn't really asked what had changed, perhaps she had found another remedy. He headed towards her room, but ended up walking headlong into Gwen.

"Oh, sorry, Gwen," he stumbled. "I was just on my way to -"

"Are you alright, Arthur?"

"Good god! Yes! I swear if one more person asks me that I'm going to - " he slammed his fist into the stone wall of the corridor. Gwen jumped, looking at him with those frightened brown doe eyes of hers. "I'm sorry… Gwen, I didn't mean to shout," he said sheepishly, trying his best to give her a look of apology. He knew it wasn't working, of course, because it was insincere. Gwen knew him best, she knew he was too frustrated to care about her tender feelings.

What was wrong with him? Being short with Merlin was one thing, but this was Guinivere! He shook his head at her and went in the opposite direction, not quite sure what he was doing.

He ended up in the castle library. It was blissfully empty. He couldn't honestly remember the last time he had been inside there. It smelled of must, the air felt damp. He found the atmosphere uncomfortable and foreboding, but he'd be damned if he was going to ask Merlin or Gaius for help. He didn't need them looking at him like he may start bleeding from his ears.

"Geoffrey," Arthur said, finding the court genealogist in the far back corner of the library hunkered down over some mammoth of a text.

"Oh, your highness!" the older man said, looking very surprised indeed to find the young Prince in the library.

"I need you to help me find a few things," Arthur said.

"Of course," he replied, bowing unnecessarily.

An hour later and Arthur was seated at a cluttered table, going through thick dusty volumes that he really had no business going through. Arthur was not one for books. Reading gave him a headache, sitting still put him to sleep. However, here he was looking for information on Spectres.

"There you are, sneaky little bastards," he muttered as he finally found a passage on them. There was barely any information, ironically, on a race that could supposedly answer all your questions.

"Enigmatic creatures," the book read, "Quite like a Will o' Wisp, Spectres prey on lost travelers on the cusp of despair. Very often they appear as whomever you most desperately desire to see at that moment in time. If bombarded by multiple prey they will become confused. The older ones will decide on the form which will cause the most emotional chaos. Spectres float and therefore leave no footprints, which is one easy way to spot them. If you catch one, it allows you to ask one question, which it must answer truthfully."

Arthur put the book down, clenching his jaw as his mind reviewed his latest nightmare. He had been waking up so often at the beginning that he rarely allowed Thomas much time to speak. This dream had been calmer, there had been no screams, no fire. If the spectre showed an image which the traveler _wanted_ to see then surely it would have showed him Gwen. Or if it chose Merlin, well… Arthur wasn't sure what it would have shown him. Perhaps his mother.

But she had been there.

"Carrow's his mum," Arthur breathed. He had been suspecting as much, but he hadn't been sure. But of course the boy was hers, they shared the same emerald green eyes. But what had happened? Thomas had been shot through the head with an arrow. The dreams had been clear on that. It had everything to do with that damn forest, to do with what happened there. Had the boy been killed all those years ago? No, that couldn't be it. It would mean that Carrow was… thousands of years old. Or that she was a ghost. But she wasn't a ghost. He was sure of that. She'd been hurt, she shared meals with them.

She'd _kissed_ him.

Arthur paused a moment, thinking. Knocking over half a dozen books, he grabbed the only book that made more mention of Malorne than "It's a scary, dark forest. Do not enter." It told of a village that had gone up nearby Malorne, one that had been called Maestag. It had had been some kind of agricultural center, the soil so rich that it was said you could plant stones and end up with a fertile crop. Arthur had never heard of the village before, they hadn't passed such a place on their way to or from the forest.

"I'm sorry, milord, but I was wondering about your progress?" Geoffrey said, bobbing up to Arthur curiously. Arthur had asked after Malorne and spectres, but hadn't offered any more than that. He was already certain that the man, who took pains to appear favorable to Uther, would be telling the king all about Arthur's sudden insanity.

"What do you know about a village called Maestag?" Arthur asked, figuring the damage had already been done.

"Maestag? Not very much, your highness, considering I don't believe it existed," Geoffrey said. The genealogist was the no nonsense type, which very often rendered him a very useless librarian. "But if you must know, the place was said to have simply vanished. As if it was never there. It was supposed to be at the edge of Malorne forest, many think the forest just sort of swallowed it up."

"Right. And I couldn't find anything on someone called Keldor, I was wondering if you had -"

"Keldor, sir?"

"Yes, that's what I said," Arthur snapped. The name that Carrow had asked the spectre about, it had been bouncing around his head with all the other minuscule clues she had left.

"Keldor Fordring was the name of a Saxon king, it's the only Keldor that comes to mind," Geoffrey said. "Though I'm not sure what use that is to you, sire. He died decades ago."

"Tell me what you know, Geoffrey," Arthur insisted.

####

( MERLIN'S POV )

"Gaius, he's not getting any better," Merlin said as he burst into the physician's chambers. "He gave me the day off."

"That's lovely, Merlin, you can help me gather a bit of bruiseweed if you don't have anything better to do," Gaius replied. He was busy chopping roots for some sort of remedy.

"No, Gaius. Arthur _gave me the day off._ Don't you think that's weird?" Merlin pressed. Arthur hadn't given Merlin the day off… ever. Not since he'd started working for him. Arthur found joy in increasing Merlin's workload as much as he could. He'd been distant and exhausted every since they got home. Merlin had theorized that Carrow had done something to him when she'd kissed him that day, but he would have felt her do something. The action had seemed innocent at the time. Merlin had figured it was very much Carrow just being Carrow - trying to leave Arthur feeling as unsettled as possible.

"It's unlike him, yes, but he's tired and even _I _need a break from your energy sometimes, Merlin. They're just _nightmares_, having traveled a couple days in Malorne, it's no surprise that a few of the ghosts might have latched on to him. But it'll wear off, I assure you," Gaius said. Merlin didn't understand why Gaius couldn't see that this was a bit different than a few bad dreams. "You said you had been getting them as well."

"Of the woman, yes. But they stopped and they weren't even all that alarming," Merlin replied. He fell into one of the wooden chairs and laid his head on the table. He had, like Gaius, been optimistic of Arthur's condition for the first few days back, but they had only gotten worse.

The door to Gaius's chamber opened again and Gwen popped in. "Merlin, we've got to fix him," she said, looking frazzled.

"What happened?" Merlin asked.

"He lost his temper with me. I don't think he went down to the training grounds, either," Gwen replied.

"Well that isn't all all that unusual, he loses his temper with me every day," Merlin said. He knew that wasn't what she meant, but he didn't really want to drag Gwen into this as well. She knew about Malorne and Carrow, at least to some extent, but to be honest Merlin barely knew of anything.

"_Merlin,"_ she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Right, well, Gaius and I are trying to figure out what it is," Merlin reassured her. "We need to know a bit more about the vanished town, Maestag, but I've been through everything in the library and there's nothing."

"That batty old woman that was leading you around, do you think maybe she poisoned Arthur?"

"She wasn't old, and I'm not even sure she was _batty_. She was actually quite pretty once you got past all the -" Gwen gave Merlin a look that said quite plainly she didn't want to hear about it, so he bit his tongue. "Right, well I don't think she did anything to Arthur to be quite honest."

"I think that what Arthur's experiencing is purely psychological," Gaius said. "It's like he's found a connection with this boy, Thomas, and part of him won't let go."

"So he's being haunted," Merlin said.

"That's what I've been saying. But the ghost's pull will fade eventually. Though I suppose if we could find what has caused the boy to stay behind in the first place, we could help the boy move on," Gaius said.

Gwen sat down at the table, worry all over her face. Merlin wasn't exactly sure how they'd go about finding this ghost child. They knew he had died in the forest, that he wanted his mummy. The spectre had taken its form. Carrow had said it assumed the most sympathetic costume, but why that little boy? Was there something specific about it? Merlin didn't think he'd quite be able to figure it out without more information about the dreams, which Arthur had been loathe to reveal.

"What about Keldor?" Merlin asked, recalling Carrow's question. He wasn't sure what it would have to do with the boy, but it was the last thing he could think of.

"Keldor? I haven't heard that name in years," Gaius said, putting down the knife he'd been using. "What significance does that have?" Merlin realized he hadn't actually told Gaius about Carrow's question and flushed sheepishly.

"I told you Carrow asked the spectre something, it was about _where_ Keldor was. The spectre said he was dead," Merlin said.

"But why would Carrow need to know about him? She would know that he's been dead for years. He was a Saxon king, supposedly killed in battle decades ago. He'd managed to conquer half the continent before he died," Gaius said. "Unfortunately I don't know much more than that." Merlin frowned at this, glancing around at the inordinate number books stacked against the walls. Most of them were devoted to herbs and magical beasts, he doubted any of them would have the answers he'd need to help Arthur.

"Gwen, there you are!" Morgana said suddenly. She had entered in such a way that Merlin got the feeling she'd been listening on the other side of the door. His jaw clenched as he saw her, his heart unfurling underneath his rib cage as it always did when she showed up unannounced.

She tried to smile and Merlin desperately missed the days when it had been genuine. The smirk she was giving them now, he began to wonder if she didn't do something to Arthur. He would have liked to include Morgana in this, she might be able to get more out of Arthur than he or even Gwen, as it seemed he had grown short even with her. But Morgana had always been able to get through to Arthur, even if she had to beat it out of him.

"Hello, Morgana," Merlin said in as cheery a voice he could manage. He was proud, he thought it sounded more sincere than hers. Every time he was around her it felt like a competition - who could fake it the best?

"Merlin," she said. "Gwen, I need you in my room for a moment, would you come?"

"Of course, my lady," Gwen said. Merlin wondered if Gwen had been having her doubts about the Lady Morgana. Oh but she must be, Gwen was not an idiot. He would have liked to warn her outright, but he felt as though that might put her in more danger than if he just kept his silence. Gwen and Morgana left subsequently after that.

"Before you ship off to the library to research Keldor, would you mind dropping off a few things, Merlin?" Gaius said. Merlin sighed heavily, wondering how Gaius could not see the urgency in this.

####

( ARTHUR'S POV )

"Arthur?" Sitting up, a page from the book Arthur had fallen asleep on stuck to his face, ripping itself out of the book entirely. Arthur blinked and then realized what happened, he pulled the page off and tossed it aside, realizing that Merlin was looking over him again. What he wouldn't give for Merlin not to be the first person he saw every time he woke.

"You've got a little…" Merlin said, pointing to the side of his face. Arthur swatted at the side of his own face, realizing that he had drooled quite a small lake on several of the books. He could suddenly feel Geoffrey glancing over at him in quiet, but indignant, rage. Apparently falling asleep on books was some sort of unspoken crime.

"What are you doing here, Merlin?" Arthur asked. Though he may have achieved another forty or so minutes of sleep, it hadn't done much to improve his mood.

"I was coming in to find something on Carrow's vanished village, but someone seems to have already check all those books out," Merlin said. "Why didn't you say you were coming here? I would have helped."

"That's precisely why I didn't tell you, Merlin. I wanted to lose my bloody mind in peace. Your optimism is positively suffocating sometimes," Arthur replied, running a hand through his messy blond hair. He yawned as Merlin grinned at him.

"Thomas is - _was_ Carrow's son," Arthur said.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "You're sure?"

"Fairly. Keldor's done something to her. He was the one who disappeared the village - Meastag. It wasn't thousands of years ago, it was maybe a hundred and fifty years ago. He took over the place, but, like Carrow said, something happened and he and all his men just disappeared. Whether that's her witch or something else, I don't know. I just know that Maestag was the site of his last conquest, the last the world heard of him or his mighty army. Most of these books are bloody useless, though," Arthur said.

"You've been busy," Merlin said as he seemed to mull over what Arthur had said.

"Yeah well, I can't just sit on my ass and let this little brat take over my life, can I?" Arthur said pointing at his head.

"Do you think Carrow's dead, or, well, a ghost?"

"No. She's too… She's too enduring for that. But I think perhaps Keldor has, I don't know, managed to trap her. She wouldn't go fifty feet from the forest, like she's stuck there. We've just got to figure out what's keeping her there," Arthur said. He knew he sounded mad, he wasn't making sense. He was exhausted though, he'd been feeling like something was sitting on his chest. He was nearly certain it was Thomas.

"So we'll go find her, force her to tell us what's wrong," Merlin said, standing up purposefully. "We know where she is. It shouldn't take a week." Arthur sighed, knowing that this would end up being far easier said than done.

####

Arthur told his father that he was taking a patrol to continue the search for the bandits who had nearly killed him three weeks previous. They still hadn't been found, so the excuse was perfectly plausible and Uther seemed to appreciate his son's initiative. Arthur wondered if there would ever be a time where he could be truly honest with his father. He discarded the idea quickly enough, one issue at a bloody time.

Arthur, Merlin, Sir Leon, and three other knights rode fast and hard toward the border and Malorne forest, he had made it clear what his intentions were, though they were asked to keep the information to themselves. He had considered lying to them, as he had done his father, but they didn't deserve that. Besides that, he wanted them on their guard when they got to Malorne, they needed to know what they were in for. He had given each the option to turn around, but none had taken it. Leon had even seemed _intrigued_ by the prospects of a haunted forest. This, of course, surprised Arthur. Leon, often taciturn, didn't seem the sort to hold to such nonsense as haunted forests.

They arrived at Carrow's demolished and empty home a week later. Arthur got down from his horse to inspect the place. He wasn't even sure she'd come back. Arthur's jaw clenched as he kicked in the scorched door of the home.

"I don't think she actually came back here, Arthur," Merlin said. "Nothing's been touched since we were here."

Arthur didn't answer. He'd begun looking through the charred remains of her home. Some of her dishes seemed to survive the damage, but clothes and furniture had been reduced to ash. Among the rubble, he saw something glint in the sunshine. He bent down to pick it up, wiping soot from it.

It was a model of a knight, a crudely fashioned toy of iron. Its shield even had Camelot's crest.

"What's that?" Merlin asked from behind Arthur.

"Just a toy," Arthur said, sighing. "Everything's rubbish here." He tossed the toy knight aside irritably. "But it's getting late, we'll make camp and visit Loxley in the morning. She'd mentioned the town once."

After having a meal, the patrol settled into an uneasy sleep. Though Arthur did not join them. He had somehow gotten a second wind, but that may have been due to the unpleasant feeling that he was being watched. He glanced at Merlin who was sleeping opposite the fire. The servant's breathing was even, Arthur was sure he was asleep.

Getting up, Arthur headed towards the very edge of the forest. He had noticed that since starting the journey to Malorne his heart had not felt so heavy. Indeed with every step he took he felt as though he could breathe easier. Further evidence that Carrow had done _something_ to him. It was probably through the kiss. Or perhaps even through something she had given him to eat. Merlin perhaps just hadn't reacted the same way.

As he neared the forest, he saw Thomas. The boy was just standing there, appearing much as he did the first time Arthur had seen him as the spectre, both eyes intact. Perhaps having a hole in his head wouldn't appear as _sympathetic_ as a spectre might want. "Hey, you cheeky little... I know what you are, you've got to answer me a damn question!" Arthur hissed at the thing, bounding into the forest after it.

He followed it for perhaps ten minutes before he realized that he'd lost its trail. Which, of course, it wouldn't have. Swearing under his breath at his stupidity, he turned around. As he did so it felt as if he'd just been punched in the gut. Arthur fell to his knees, winded. It felt as though his stomach had been jammed into his ribs.

Then he saw a new one, a different ghost entirely. This one was a soldier as well. A sullen face with sunken brown eyes grinned maliciously back at him, his black hair swept greasily across his forehead. He also seemed to be flickering in and out of view as he reached toward Arthur.

"Little prince. Get out before she sucks you in any further," the figure said, the threat hung there for a moment while Arthur struggled to breath. He heard the crunching of leaves and thought that Merlin must have (thankfully) followed him in. The hiss of a sword just missing the top of his head sounded and the figure blinked out of existence. Behind him stood Carrow, a pained smile on her face.

"Didn't I just get rid o' you?" was all she said.

##

_So I know this is just leaving more questions than it answers, don't worry, those should be revealed a bit more next chapter. As always, reviews are totally appreciated as well as comments/questions/suspicions! Thanks for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5: Memento

Chapter 5: _Memento_

##

"Wha - wha - how…?" Arthur struggled, still working to catch his breath as Carrow offered him a hand.

"Use your words, love," she said. Arthur took her hand to pull himself up. Heaving another breath, he managed to give her an ornery glare. He noticed that she had dropped the sword she'd been holding to help him up, her other arm in a makeshift sling. She was filthy and bruised, but she was still able to sound as if she was having the grandest time. Mixed emotions suddenly bubbled up inside him, he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to slap her or hug her.

"What - Where were you? Why didn't you go back to your house?" Arthur said.

"Why did _you_?" she retorted, furrowing her brow as she wiped the leaves off his shoulders.

"Because you - You bloody well know why! You did something to me! I've been getting these nightmares, haven't been able to eat properly, tired all the time, it's about you, I know it is! And I know that Thomas was your son, and all this," Arthur gestured to the woods, "all this has got to do with you!" It felt good to yell at her, this irritating little witch who'd done nothing but cause him grief. And saved his life, a tiny voice in the back of his head muttered.

She blinked at him, still furrowing her brow, causing two little dimples to appear right above her eyebrows. The expression made her look younger and somehow lost. Though he hadn't known her long, it occurred to him that he had not seen her confused. She was a very confident woman in between all the absurd antics.

"How did you know he was my son?" she asked quietly.

"Well, I… The spectre! I'm not that thick, I know Merlin and you may think otherwise, but I _do_ notice things at times. The spectre takes a form that someone _desires_ to see. He wasn't significant to Merlin or I, but you were there… then there were the dreams, which _you_ gave me. Thomas would always be asking after his mummy, that's you!" he continued angrily. Carrow's eyes got a bit glassy as Arthur finished, but she blinked them back furiously. "Just be straight with me, Carrow."

She turned around and bent over to pick up her sword. A crude weapon, he saw. It was blunt and he wasn't sure what she hoped to do with it. She saw him looking and said, "It's iron. Ghosts are allergic, so to speak. So are fae, if we happen to run into them." She smiled and wiped her eye as she walked past him.

Arthur grabbed her as she past. "Are you going to cooperate or shall I drag you out of this forest kicking and screaming?"

"I'd like to see you try," she grinned at him. "Come on, sweet prince, here boy!" She clicked her tongue at him as if he were her loyal dog. Rolling his eyes at her, he bit back a smile.

"Why did you give me the dreams?" he asked, following her.

"I didn't give you the dreams, Arthur," she said in a far away voice. It seemed she remained quite foggy about that bit as well. "I assumed that when I left you in that field three weeks ago I'd never see you or your dearest servant again, didn't I? Yes, whatever happened it's not me… but Thomas couldn't have - he's just a boy, hang on! No, no, that isn't it," she continued. The conversation had once again taken a turn for the confusing and Arthur had no choice but wait until she'd finished arguing with herself.

"But if Thomas lured you here, it means… he'd have gotten outta the loop. But then he woulda found me, wouldn't he? Unless you - He saw something in, but that's - you're not special! You're just a daft bloody prince -"

"Hang on, I'm standing right here," Arthur said.

Carrow stopped. "Yes you are. You are here," she came up to him, waving her blunt sword around madly. "But then you are special, en't you, prince?" she whispered, drawing near. Arthur swallowed uncomfortably.

"Where are you leading me? I've got a camp set up at your old place, Merlin -"

"Oh, but no! You ruined that place, didn't you? No, it's alright, don't feel bad. I'd been meaning to do it myself. Memories are best left crispy," she said. Arthur was reminded of the toy he'd picked up earlier, he dug in his pocket to reveal it. The knight, standing tall and firm in his hand. He had pocketed it when he knew Merlin wasn't looking, though he wasn't sure why.

"Memories like this one?" Carrow paused, turning back to look at Arthur. Her eyes fell to the knight.

"Yes. Just like that one," she said, waving him off and averting her gaze. Arthur knew it must belong to Thomas, but didn't press her. He shoved the toy back in his pocket, quickening his pace to match her stride.

"Where are we going then?"

"I've got a lovely little cave near a creek. They keep trying to trick my eyes, of course, but it's not _really _ blood, so you just gotta keep -" Arthur's face contorted into disgust, which caused her to laugh. "I'm only jokin'. Sort of."

"And why can't we go back to camp? If I don't, they'll be in here tomorrow morning looking for me and getting lost," Arthur said.

"Have a little faith, your highness," she said, shaking her head at him. "I've not steered you wrong before, have I?"

Arthur pursed his lips at her.

"Do you not want help, Carrow?" he asked. Her pace suddenly quickened and she ignored the question.

"It's not far," she called behind her. He desperately hoped that she would give him something to go on once she stopped running, and he indeed hoped that it wouldn't far. He kept getting the feeling that he was being watched. He could almost just make out who was doing the watching through the corner of his eye, but once he really tried looking for it, it would disappear. He thought it might be Thomas again, but then the boy had no reason to be coy, did he? This was something else. Arthur got the feeling that it was not _he_ whom the presence was after, either, but his frazzled guide.

Her pace slowed again and she dragged her dull weapon behind her, much like a little girl might drag a ragdoll. He was amazed she'd even been able to lead him this far, the forest had somehow gotten thicker and he could barely see his sword in front of him. He heard the familiar crackling of a fire as they neared her camp. It was an eerie cave, made still more unsettling by white chalked runes drawn into the entrance, he was only able to see them because they almost seemed to glow. The runes looked extremely old and much of the entrance was covered in ivy and undergrowth.

Arthur frowned as he neared the entrance, his hair had, quite literally stood on end, skin prickled with electricity. Carrow's hair, which was usually something of a crow's nest, looked even more as though she'd been shot down by a bolt of lightning.

"What is this?" Arthur said, wrenching a finger into his ear and trying to swallow, his ears had popped and he could almost hear some sort of humming.

"That _is_ unusual," she said, grabbing his arm and pushing up the sleeve of his jacket and tunic to observe the hairs on his arms sticking up. She let her hand hover over his arm for a second and a tiny shock passed between them. "Usually this only happens to me," she assured him, furrowing her brow again.

"What? What only happens to you? I swear to God, Carrow, if you continue to speak in riddles I will slit your throat," he growled at her, teeth clenching as he yanked his arm from her.

"You remember when you first got rough me?" she said, a sly smile finding her face. Arthur narrowed his eyes at her. "That's when I knew I liked you." She paused. "I wonder if that means I secretly want to be spanked… Anyway, yes about the charge! Come in , come in!"

She grabbed his hand again and yanked him inside the cave. She whispered something in that funny language he couldn't begin to decipher and tiny balls of light flew to torches on either side of the walls. Arthur cringed, biting his tongue by accident. Magic wasn't something he would ever get used to, he didn't _want_ to get used to it. He wanted to reprimand her for it, but chose not to as he thought it might force her to lose her train of thought.

"This is the epicenter," she said, as though that explained everything.

"Of the forest? No, it isn't. We can't be but five miles away from - " Arthur argued.

'No, silly boy! You know of Maestag! I told you the druids made it part of the forest, they used their magic to allow the forest to swallow it. But they were only strong enough to get half, you see? So half of Maestag is to the west, half of it is in the forest. And this," she said, walking further into the cave, "is the heart of it. This is where the first blood was spilled."

####

( MERLIN'S POV )

He felt something buzzing around his ear. He swatted at it, still mostly asleep, turning to lie on his back. Merlin opened his eyes with a huff to see that a family of flies had decided to hover around him due to the fact that one of the horses had gotten lose and thought that beside Merlin was the tastiest patch of grass.

"Merlin, get up!" Sir Leon barked, sounding uncharacteristically angry.

"Wha-What is it?" he asked, struggling to wake.

"Arthur's gone and disappeared," Leon said. He was stamping out the last of the glowing embers in their fire pit from the previous night as the other knights rounded up the horses.

"Aren't there any tracks?" Merlin said, now completely awake. He got up, grabbing his ratty brown jacket that he had used as a blanket during the night and throwing it over his shoulders.

"Not that we can see, but his horse is still here. He wouldn't have gone into the forest you don't think?" Leon asked, giving the tree line a suspicious glance as he walked up to Merlin. Merlin's eyes followed his. "Or perhaps he was kidnapped?"

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "You know Arthur wouldn't have been taken without kicking and screaming and making an ass of himself," he said.

"No, you're right. Unless he was drugged. Or taken in his sleep," Leon said.

"He… Why would he leave without saying something?" Merlin said.

"You know him better than any of us, Merlin."

He realized suddenly that that must be true. However close Arthur was to his knights, Merlin was the one he would generally share anything and everything with. He hadn't thought of their relationship like that, to consider that Arthur thought of him as a confidant. Unfortunately there was so much that Merlin just _couldn't_ share with Arthur. It wouldn't be safe. Though seeing the way the prince had treated Carrow when he found out about her magic _did_ give him hope.

But he hadn't known Carrow for ages, didn't see_ her_ as a confidant. How would Arthur handle it knowing that Merlin had lied to him all this time? Merlin no longer thought that he would care about the magic so much as the _betrayal_ keeping it from him had entailed. Biting the inside of his cheek, he gave the forest another sideways glance.

"Should we start the search in the forest then?" Leon said. Merlin was surprised to be asked for his opinion. Usually he was completely ignored. "He couldn't have gone -"

"Tracks! I've found tracks, Sir Leon!" came the voice of a younger knight, Sir Bryant. Leon and Merlin ran to inspect the trail. It wasn't headed into the forest, but away from it.

"But that's toward the other village - Loxley?" Merlin said. "Why would he go there on his own?" Merlin suddenly got the feeling he was being watched. His eyes narrowed as he turned towards the forest - nothing. But then, out of the corner of his eye… Was that the woman in white again? He couldn't look straight at her, she would disappear if he did. She only seemed to be visible in his peripheral vision. He blinked, and she was suddenly right next to him. Merlin jumped backwards and lost his balance.

Leon caught him before he fell, looking at him disparagingly. "You alright, Merlin?"

"Yeah, I just thought I saw something," he answered.

There was a cold wind on the side of his face then. "Follow the trail, young warlock," it breathed. Merlin shivered. A ghost had just told him to follow the trail, which seemed proof that Arthur had not made it.

"We've got no other leads, Merlin, we'll have to head to the village. If he's not there, we'll come back to the forest."

"I don't think he went to the village, though! I'm nearly sure of it!"

"Yes, well I don't want to put my men in danger if you're wrong, Merlin," Leon said. "The last time you all came here, four men died."

"But that was nothing to do with -"

"We'll find him, that's what's important. Bryant, get the other men, we'll saddle up and head to the village," Leon said. Merlin's jaw clenched angrily. They were playing right into the hands of the forest. Leaving Arthur in there, probably to die. But the ghost, the woman… he knew she couldn't be evil.

Merlin had his own dreams of the forest when he arrived back in Camelot. The woman in white had kept him company for three days. But the dreams had not been nightmares as Arthur's had been. She had been there, merely holding her hand out to him, a desolate little smile on her lovely face. He had tried to reach her, he knew she needed help, but she would always be falling backwards. As far as dreams went it wasn't remotely telling or even alarming. She had not plagued him with urgency as Thomas had done to Arthur.

He had two choices: follow the knights into Loxley, ask about Arthur and subsequently Carrow, or he could bumble around in the forest until some spectre tricked him into a vacuous sinkhole. While his brain told him that Arthur was still in that forest, his gut was telling he had to leave it.

Inevitably, Merlin chose to follow Leon and the rest of the knights to Loxley. It was only a couple hours journey from the edge of Malorne. Arthur had told Merlin that the people there had their own idle gossip surrounding Carrow, though most of it was of her own doing. Carrow was just the sort of person to spin a web of lies to invoke fear and intrigue about herself.

They asked first after the village elder, who apparently ran the inn. Merlin found the old man asleep in one of his rooms. A greasy, liverspotted old man with cataracts. Poking him several times, the voice of a woman startled him.

"Don't bother, he won't wake up for at least another hour," she said in a wheezy old voice. She was sitting in a darkened corner with a flickering candle looking over something that looked suspiciously like a map. She smoked a pipe and looked like someone Carrow would get on splendidly with.

"I'm looking for someone, a man - about my height. Probably a dark brown coat, blond - kind of a prat," Merlin asked, feeling some obligation to ask after Arthur even if he knew the prince would not have been there. She shook her head.

"No one meetin' that description's been through here far's I know," she said.

"Right well, what about… what about a woman. She'd have some nasty scars on the right side of her face," Merlin said.

"You mean the magpie?" she said, grinning ear to ear.

"Magpie? That's what you lot call her?"

"Yes, Magpie of Malorne. Especially when telling children to eat their greens," she said, cackling. She looked like she fit the description far better than Carrow ever could, scars or no. He wondered if she knew what the word meant. Usually it was attributed to a scavenger or the town gossip, a crone. Merlin rolled his eyes, wondering if Carrow had induced the word.

"Some of us know her better as Carrow, of course, the wicked witch," the woman said.

"What can you tell me about her?"

"Me? Not much, you ought to visit Rebekah Jensen though. I think she put the woman up a few years back. Absolute nutter," the woman said.

"Rebekah or Carrow?"

"Pick one."

"Where can I find Rebekah?" Merlin asked.

"She's in the shack right next to the blacksmith. Flower box full o' little yellow things right out front," the woman replied, taking a puff of her pipe and blowing it in Merlin's face. Merlin sputtered, thanking the woman, and left.

He found Rebekah Jensen's home easily enough. It was the only home with a flower box or any indication that someone took pride in it. Laundry was strung up from the window, and Merlin could see that someone was digging around in the vegetable patch out from.

"Miss Jensen?" Merlin asked hesitantly, when she didn't seem to hear him, he repeated himself.

"Hello! Oh, what?" she said, bouncing up off of her knees creakily and stirring around to see Merlin.

"Hello, I was wondering if I might ask you about a woman called Carrow? The lady at the inn said you'd put her up…" Merlin trailed off as Rebekah gave him a dazed sort of look. She was quite old, barely five feet tall, with wispy white hair. Her eyes, even though they were yellowed and dulled, still seemed to sparkle with tenacity.

"Carrow… Carrow…" she muttered to herself.

"I think a lot of the people call her the Magpie of Malorne," Merlin said.

"Oh, no I know who you're talking about, young man, I'm simply trying to collect my thoughts. Such a long time ago, last I saw her. Doesn't still live up on the hill in that ugly little shack, does she?" Rebekah asked.

"Well… No, but we thought she did, she seems to have disappeared. Along with a very good friend of mine, I was wondering if you could tell me about her," Merlin said, a bit sheepishly as he thought of what the poor old shack looked like now. A tinge of guilt lingered in his gut.

The woman looked at him a moment, suspicion in her eyes. "You look harmless enough, I suppose. Right, come on then," she said, picking up a walking stick that Merlin hadn't noticed before. She creaked her way into the home, Merlin following close behind. As the door shut, he noticed Leon and Bryant lingering outside the tavern. They'd been questioning the village of Arthur, but, as Merlin had foretold, there was no sign of the prince.

"Lovely woman, Selina," Rebekah said as they entered an intimate little kitchen that smelled of baking bread and vanilla. "Though her son was a handful. Got into everything."

"Selina?"

"That's her name. Selina Carrow," she said, nodding. "Cup o' tea for you, dear?"

He nodded and the woman poured him a glass. Selina. Merlin rolled the name over in his mind. He thought it suited her, but he was still having trouble picturing the rather eccentric woman having anything normal, a first name and a son didn't quite fit into the identity she had fashioned for herself out in the woods.

"How long ago was she here?"

"Oh what was it… two, three years? Thomas was six, I think she had him young. Father wasn't in the picture, you see. Her parents weren't pleased, sent her away," Rebekah said.

"Sent her here?"

"Oh, heavens no. I think she'd said she was to stay with her grandmother in Camelot but she just never got there. She was always secretive, that one, getting anything out of her was like pulling teeth. Always a smile on her face, though," the woman said, taking a sip of her own tea. "I'm sorry, did she do something to your friend? I seen those knights poking their heads into everyone's business."

"We're not sure, exactly. Can you tell me how she went from happy mother of one to a batty witch in a hut?" Merlin asked. The woman raised an eyebrow at him, as though he'd been too straight forward.

"You're not after her to burn her at the stake, are you? Because magic's legal here, young sir and -"

"No! No, nothing like that. Honestly, I just want to find my friend. It's very important that I do," Merlin said. The woman sidled back in her seat trying to decide if she was indeed pacified by this answer or not. Merlin, for once, was quite grateful for his unassuming good looks.

"She was always odd, Selina. I didn't mind it because I feel as though I'm suffering senility myself. But she was too young for that… She talked to herself, you see? But it was more like she was having a real conversation that only she could hear. Loxley is so close to that dratted forest… It's not surprising that they could get to her here," the woman began.

"Who? The ghosts?" Merlin said.

"Of course, the ghosts! We usually can't see them. You'll get a feeling of cold every once in a while, yes or feel like you can see one just out of the corner of your eye but they don't _interrupt_. But Selina seemed to have more of a connection with them. She was always asking after the older ones in the village, trying to find out what happened, you see? Stirring up trouble. People don't like remembering the past, least of all the men in this village," Rebekah continued. "They felt she was disrupting our happy village, drove her out with shouts of heresy and witchery."

"But I thought magic was fine here?" Merlin said.

"Oh it's legal, but that doesn't mean people _like _it. Fear of magic has coated most of the continent. Though I don't know that Selina's ability had anything to do with magic. She just seemed to be able to hear a little better than the rest of us. She took Thomas soon after they started getting really angry. Moved closer to the woods. She weren't scared of the ghosts like the rest of us were, she was always on about helping them, you see? Part of that was kindness, but a larger part surely must have been that she was sick of them."

"And that was the last you saw of her?"

"No, no. She came back only a month later… Crawled back from the woods. She was screaming and crying, caked in blood. Her face was covered in cuts, as if someone fancied it some sort of canvas. Sliced all to hell, she didn't seem to care about that - screaming after Thomas. Poor boy, I don't know what became of him. I was the only one who'd take her in. Cleaned her up, set her to rights - physically - as best I could, but she wouldn't talk any more after that. Quiet as the dead. Stayed two days and then disappeared again," Rebekah said. She sighed a bit melodramatically. Merlin's eyes narrowed and he began to wonder if she wasn't enjoyed the tale a bit too much.

"Disappeared?"

"Well, she left. I know she went back to that hovel of hers nearest the forest. I assume she was looking for her boy. It was really such a shame what happened to her face though, because I suppose once she lost her son she might have been able to find a man. She was quite beautiful before all that, it was just that child of -"

"Yes, thank you. That's really… quite enough to go on," Merlin said, clenching his jaw. He didn't know why her comment had irked him so much, but he honestly couldn't believe what he was hearing. He got up to leave after that. As he left her home, one couldn't help but notice that her beautiful yellow flowers all seemed to wilt.

He went to the tavern, next, where he assumed the knights were finishing up. The entire excursion hadn't taken an hour and Merlin was quite ready to get back to the forest, certain that something very bad indeed might happen to Arthur if they continued to dawdle in this godforsaken village. As he grew nearer to the pub, he heard angry shouts. A tankard of mead hit the door, and he only barely managed to duck.

Edging inside carefully so as not to afford himself unwanted attention, he ran into Bryant, who had some other brute in a bit of a chokehold.

"What the hell is going on?" Merlin asked

"Oi, Merlin! A little to the left now," Bryant said, shoving Merlin out of the way to knock the other man's head into the wall.

"Merlin, is that you?" he heard a familiar voice from underneath an overturned table. Merlin lifted it up off whomever was underneath.

"Gwaine?"

##

_And that's Chapter 5! Thanks for all your comments and reviews, guys, keep 'em coming! I try to reply to everyone, seriously I love them. Promise the next update should be soon!_


	6. Chapter 6: Quiet In My Town

Chapter 6: _Quiet In My Town_

_##_

( ARTHUR'S POV )

Arthur followed Carrow deeper into the cave, seeing the same runes that had been etched into the outside of the cave had been smeared on the inside. "What are all these for?"

"I only know a few of them. None are remotely good, though. I've tried to break them… but apparently they're positively impenetrable," Carrow replied.

"Really?"

"No, I was just trying to make myself feel better," she said, letting out a sigh. Arthur rolled his eyes at her. "What I mean is that I'm not strong enough to do anything with them, no." Arthur raised an eyebrow at the wall, looking at the strange symbols curiously. Unsheathing his sword, he struck the wall, scraping through white rune and running a thin line through it.

"Oh, I never thought of that," Carrow said sarcastically. Arthur looked back at her to see she'd crossed her arms irritably. "Look, sire, what is that? Oh it's repaired itself!" Unfortunately, it had. The white line had somehow reconnected itself, good as new. Arthur ran a hand over it. She had meant magic, of course, she had tried _magic_ and it hadn't even done any good.

"So this is where it started, the first blood was spilled all those years ago… and these runes are keeping all the souls trapped here?" Arthur said.

Carrow nodded and bent down over a small fire pit in the middle of the small cavern. Arthur couldn't see what she was doing, but when she moved away there was a fire flickering to life. "Yes, well, it generates some sort of… field. Their energies connect with the living here, well, not all the living - just those who are more receptive of it. Like me and, I suppose, you."

"Is that… has that got anything to do with magic?" Arthur said.

"What? Oh, no. No, I don't think so. It's not terribly common for someone to be _receptive_ of the dead, but we're not special either. It's just… there are things about this forest that make it, well, _crackle_," Carrow said. "It's not like I bring people around to see this place all that often, you're the first person since… Well, wait - if you're willing I'd like to try something," she said.

Arthur looked at her suspiciously, he was really in no mood to try anything to do with magic or ghosts right now. His skin was prickling with whatever energy she was talking about, honestly he felt lightheaded, like he needed to take a nap. But it did seem a bit different than how he'd felt before he arrived back at Malorne. Before he was sluggish, like dead weight, now he supposed the nausea was more due to an overload. He leaned against the side of the wall, studying Carrow for a moment as she looked at him with a hopeful half smile on her distorted face.

"If you do, I'll tell you what happened - what really happened. No puzzles, no riddles," Carrow said, tilting her head slightly to the side.

Arthur's jaw clenched at the idea. "Fine," he said reluctantly.

Carrow jumped up from the fire, clapping at him triumphantly. "Fantastic! Well, perhaps fantastic. Come stand here, near the entrance," Carrow said. Biting the inside of his cheek, he obeyed. He knew he'd regret this, whatever this was.

She held both of her hands out to him, motioning for him to take them. As he did so she slapped them away. "No, no, just hover, like this," she said. He wondered how annoyed he'd have to be in order to be pushed into hitting a woman. He knew his tolerance for stupidity had been stretched a bit thin the past couple months, but upon meeting Carrow and learning about all this ghost and magic rubbish that tolerance had dwindled to almost nothing. Especially considering how tired he was at the moment. She held her hands slightly over his, letting the energy crackle between them.

"Close your eyes. Now, think of Thomas. Think of the dreams, the clues he laid for you… Think of what brought you here," she said.

The cabin, the boy sitting on his lap and imploring him to help him find his mummy. The arrow, the sound of it as it plunged into the boy's skull. Arthur swallowed, not enjoying this exercise so far. "What the hell are we doing this for?" he asked.

Carrow shushed him. Arthur cracked one eye open to look at Carrow, who had jammed her own eyes shut and seemed to be whispering nonsensical syllables under her breath. As far as he could tell nothing was happening. They stayed like that for another five minutes and then Carrow got progressively louder with her chanting.

Arthur opened both his eyes as the energy in the cave went cold. Turning his head to look outside, he suddenly saw an entire mob of people standing there. His heart hammered away behind his ribcage. Each one of these people had some sort of grisly and mortal wound. A woman with a piece of glass lodged through her eye, a man holding his own leg, most of them had an arrow or two sticking out of their backs. But they were not just village people he saw, but knights as well. All of them, he knew, were dead. They were just standing there, looking at him listlessly.

Then a boy shoved his way through the crowd.

"Thomas?" Arthur breathed, dropping his hands from Carrow's - but she grabbed them before he could break contact.

"Carrow, don't you see them? Thomas - there's a whole bloody congregation out -"

Another ghost shoved his way forward, knocking several of the villagers out of his way coldly. He was slightly shorter than most of the knights, but stocky and thick around the middle, with a shaved head that Arthur supposed was meant to intimidate. His face was gaunt and mottled, indistinguishable from the other knights but for the fact that he was wearing a smile. He was not looking through Arthur, but directly at him. No, he was grinning at Carrow.

"She'll be a lovely new conduit, boy, thank you for forcing her back here. Necromancy is such an iffy business," the man walked right into the cave and Arthur's eyes widened. He yanked his hands away from Carrow and dove for her blunt iron sword. Grabbing it quickly, he rolled forward and launched the sword at the ghost. He disappeared, but only for a second, reappearing in the middle of the mob of ghosts, all of which still seemed to be staring forward with dormant eyes.

"Carrow! Carrow you stupid witch! Stop it!" Arthur said, grabbing Carrow round the shoulders and shaking her. She made no motion to stop. "Argh, Carrow! I'm sorry about this," he said, taking his own sword from its sheath again, he knocked her out with the butt of it. She stopped chanting and the array of ghosts disappeared in a wave of smoke.

Carrow crumpled in his arms.

####

( MERLIN'S POV )

"Gwaine?" Merlin said disbelievingly as he uncovered the rogue.

"Merlin!" he replied, getting clumsily to his feet. Gwaine appeared to be slightly tipsy, his eyes glassy with alcohol. Merlin looked around him and saw that the entire tavern was in something of an uproar. Bryant was still busy with two thugs in the corner, the usually reserved Leon even had one man by the throat. The mess couldn't have been caused by the knights' visit, at least not entirely. The ones Arthur had brought with him were generally the most complacent and level-headed of the bunch.

"What did you _do_?" Merlin asked incredulously. He didn't know why he had decided to blame Gwaine for it entirely, it was just the odds looked better. Though Bryant certainly appeared to be having a grand time. Before Gwaine could answer, another thug had tried to take a swing at him and Gwaine managed to shove him to the side. Merlin decided to get out of the fray and edged toward the side.

"Why do ya think I had anything to do with it?" Gwaine replied, as he punched his would be attacker in the gut.

They were separated before Merlin had a chance to answer. Seeing that Leon seemed to be having trouble in a two on one, Merlin's eyes flashed gold and a stray bench knocked both the men to the floor. Leon quickly went to assist Bryant and another knight.

The fight lasted another ten minutes before they managed to get most of the villagers into a more sober state. Though that was more or less because two thirds seemed to be unconscious.

"Would _some_one tell me what the hell is going on?" Merlin said, tone exasperated. The happiness he'd felt to see Gwaine had been extremely brief and he was back to feeling annoyed. Honestly, they'd only been in town an hour and they'd already made enemies of the whole village. He was surprised it wasn't _he_ who caused the trouble.

"Honestly, it wasn't me this time," Gwaine said, picking up a half empty mug of ale from one of the few tables which hadn't been overturned and finishing it off. His fault or not, the man appeared to be in high spirits. Righting a chair, Gwaine fell into it, a smile on his face. Merlin only grimaced at him before turning to Leon for some sort of explanation.

"Bryant was trying to help one of the women get rid of… well a man who turned out to be her husband. He took offense, threw a punch and his friends came to his aid. It was all a giant misunderstanding," Leon said, shaking out his fist and then pointing at the overzealous husband. "I believe he was drunk out of his mind. Middle of the bloody day, too," he said, disgusted.

Bryant came over then, and thanked Gwaine "Have we met before?" the young knight asked.

"I think you arrested me… what was it, Merlin, two months ago?" Gwaine said, a lazy grin still on his face.

Merlin nodded. "Just about."

"Funny that idiot had any friends to jump in with him, most of this town is bloody cold," Gwaine said.

"Oi, you, shut yer damn hole!" said a man who had begun cleaning up behind the bar. "I want you and yer damn friends outta me tavern, you got that?" Leon looked at Merlin, nodding for him to remove Gwaine while he spoke with the tavern's keeper. Merlin assumed he'd offer restitution on behalf of Camelot. In a way, Merlin supposed, it _had_ been Bryant's fault. But by the looks on the faces of those men, it didn't seem like much could really rattle their chain.

As Merlin dragged Gwaine out, he said "How long have you been here?"

"Me? Oh, I don't know. Less than a week I suppose. Usually I can last at least two in a place like this, but your boys had to go and ruin that for me," Gwaine said. "Speaking of your boy, where's that pompous git?"

"Arthur's indisposed," Merlin said, bristling. He was annoyed. Perhaps not at Gwaine, but at the entire situation. If he had hoped to get anything else out of the townspeople, that chance had gone right out the window.

"Indisposed how?" Gwaine asked. "Prat's alright isn't he?"

"I'm not sure, that's part of the reason we're here in the first place," Merlin said. He hadn't necessarily planned on telling Gwaine of anything, but he supposed that he had no choice. It wasn't as though they were going to leave him here when they left, were they? He filled him in on just about everything he could think of, seeing now that the tale wasn't quite as long as he'd thought.

"Huh," Gwaine said. Merlin worried the rogue was actually still too far gone to understand what he'd been on about. But sobriety seemed to have taken hold.

"You know I thought there was something off about this place. I chocked it all up to me being, well, a bit knackered during most of my waking hours," he said.

"So you're ready to believe the ghosts bit?" Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow at Gwaine. The man always seemed ready to believe just about anything, so he didn't know why it should surprise him that Gwaine'd be happy to take this on, too.

"Ah, you know me. Everythin' with a grain of salt, right, mate? Besides, this whole bloody town is off its nut," Gwaine said.

Merlin furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Oh little things. You know that bar fight was the first _normal_ bit of human interaction I've seen since I got here? These people, they barely talk to each other. It's like they're all sort of waiting for the ball to drop. Hell, yesterday it was a damn monsoon outside and there was this lady travelin' in asking for help with their carriage. Not one person got up to help, icy cold shoulder. It was the weirdest thing," Gwaine said.

"Least you were there," Merlin said.

"Oh yeah. There to keep the lass warm, too. Pretty little thing," Gwaine said.

"You didn't," Merlin said, shaking his head, though grinning in spite of himself.

Gwaine paused for effect, "Yeah, no I didn't. I helped her get her wheel unstuck and she went on her way. Though I was awarded one hell of a smile, really gorgeous girl, Merlin, I swear - hair like spun gold." Merlin rolled his eyes at Gwaine.

He supposed it was odd, the lack of warmth in the village. He shook his head. They didn't need to be worrying about how the town may or may not be filled with a bunch of psychopaths.

Leon and several of the other knights joined Merlin and Gwaine outside the tavern, several other sore looking patrons came out behind them looking surly as ever.

"Looks like we're not welcome here, anymore. We'll have to head back to the forest and find the prince," Leon told Merlin, massaging his jaw where a nasty bruise was already forming.

"A haunted forest, huh? Boy that sounds right up Arthur's street," Gwaine said, clapping Merlin on the back. "I'll have to borrow a horse, then."

"You sure you want to come?"

"Yes, of course. Arthur's got a ghost, you've got a ghost, I'd love to have one of my own as well. Besides this witch of yours, Carrow, sounds like a treat," Gwaine replied.

####

( ARTHUR'S POV )

Arthur began to nod off waiting for Carrow to regain consciousness. He was sitting at the entrance of the cave, stoking the fire which was steadily fizzling out. Carrow's head was resting on his leg and he hoped he hadn't done any permanent damage. He wondered _why_ he hoped he hadn't done any permanent damage. It would certainly better for him if she never woke up.

Honestly, what _was_ keeping him here? He didn't need to help her. She was ridiculous and irritating and troublesome. He could try and make his bloody peace with Thomas, find the little brat's bones and burn them, do an exorcism… whatever it took, it had to be easier than dealing with Carrow.

He looked down at her irritably, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Her face was unfortunately scarred side up and he couldn't help but stare at them, which he had tried to avoid out of politeness. As he stared, however, he noticed something of a pattern. Some sort of half triangle, curved lines… He looked from her face, to one of the runes etched into the side of the wall. They were the same. Or they would be, but there seemed to be an unnecessary vertical line… There were at least three others carved into her face that would match those on the wall but for the hatch marks running through them. Someone had carved these dark runes into Carrow's _face._ Absently, he traced a finger over the half triangle one.

"They're death runes," she said, surprising Arthur and he jerked his hand back. Her eye opened and she looked up at him.

"Yeah, I got that," he said. Carrow sat up quickly, scooting away from Arthur.

"I shouldn't have tried that, I apologize," she said, tone brisk and quite unlike herself.

"What were you even _trying_?" Arthur said.

"Oh this and that," she said, reverting back to her evasive ways.

"You promised me answers, witch. Cut and dry answers," Arthur pressed, giving her a stony glare she couldn't wriggle out of.

"Yes, well, I lied."

"Car_row."_

_"Alright._ Ar_thur_. See? I can enunciate as well. Fine, don't look at me like that, makes my skin all crawly," she said, maneuvering herself up against the other side of the wall. "I was trying to contact Thomas, if you hadn't guessed. But I didn't separate the spell correctly and _he_ caught wind of it."

"Keldor?"

"Yes. I was hoping he wouldn't have found out that I was back quite so soon, but best laid plans often go awry," she said, sighing and adjusting her filthy purple tunic.

"He called you a conduit," Arthur prompted.

"Yes, yes. I'll get there. Patience, sweet prince," she replied. Arthur suddenly found himself wishing her unconscious again. "I had Thomas when I was sixteen. Out of wedlock, the father well, he was a bit of a twat," Carrow began. Arthur raised an eyebrow at her, though he was trying his best not to judge. Everything about Carrow was unconventional, why wouldn't her son?

"He was born in Camelot, a small village on the edge. Actually it's probably only two day's ride to the east of here. I suppose my parents are still there. Most judgmental people you'd ever meet in your life… though I'm sure _you_ of all people know what it's like to have ignorant parents," Carrow said. Somehow he knew she wouldn't be able to resist a jab at his father.

"Would you get to the point?"

"I thought you wanted the whole truth! Right then, hush. I raised Thomas there for about five years, but my parents wanted rid of me so they sent me to Camelot in hopes I'd enchant some handsome young knight into marrying me. But I decided I didn't want to go there and ended up in Loxley. This was all three and a… half years ago," she said, counting on her fingers. "Loxley is very much part of the whole problem."

"How so?"

"Because the people there are absolute _cowards_. I began to hear things, see the ghosts. I tried talking to them, but most of them were stuck in these loops. I call them loops anyway. Death loops. They relive the last moments of their lives over and over again. That knight you saw in the forest when I found you? He mistook you for someone else, still in the throes of his own death. Depressing innit?"

"Yes well, anyway. Thomas could see them, too. He thought they were just new friends. I managed to find one ghost in particular - a woman, she had found her way out of her loop. She told me about the forest, about Maestag, that they were all trapped there because of _Keldor._"

"I had the woman I was staying with - Jensen, dismal woman. Awful cook, honestly she could mess up cheese and -"

"Carrow?" Arthur said, interrupting her.

"Yes?"

"Focus."

"Right, right. Anyway, she watched Thomas while I followed this ghost back to Malorne, and subsequently here. To this cave. I became consumed with the idea that I could help release their spirits. I'd travel back and forth from here, trying different spells and incantations… I even tried this really shifty tonic I got from this gypsy who'd stopped into town, it was supposed to put me under so that I could better communicate with the dead - really I think it just gave me the flu."

"I never brought Thomas with me, I felt it was too dangerous. But since my attentions had become otherwise engaged, I… I didn't know he'd follow me here. But he did and one day I tried a bit of magic I shouldn't have. I don't know what happened but something ran through me and… and I managed to summon Keldor."

Arthur remained silent through her tale, worried that if he should mention anything or ask questions, it may steer her off track. She already seemed disinclined to continue on this train of thought. She had hugged her knees to her chest and she was no longer smiling.

"It wasn't a summoning so much as a… Look at me! I'm here and I'm healthy and I'm open to anything! sort of spell. It was so… stupid," she continued. "And yes, it was every bit as stupid as what I just endeavored to do, I told you I was sorry."

"I didn't say anything," Arthur replied.

Her frown deepened, but she continued. "Keldor arrived here and he told me he could help me. He said he just needed my permission to use me as some sort of conduit, as a sort of beacon for him to conjure energy from. But the woman, the lady ghost who'd been my guide through all this, she was there. She warned me off. I declined his invitation. But Thomas was there, my… baby boy. Keldor had him by the throat. Ghost or not, somehow he was solid, he could cause harm… He began breaking his fingers one by one, threatening to snap more than his fingers if I didn't agree to help him."

She paused here, turning her head away from him. She didn't want him to see that she had started to cry.

"So you said yes," Arthur said.

"After the second finger," she said, nodding. "As soon as I agreed an arrow flew right through my little boy's head. I screamed, but not for long. Keldor had me around the throat then and he began cutting…" She motioned to her face.

"This cave had been his conductor for a very long time, but the energy had started to dissipate and he wanted something more _portable_. So he started on my face, replicating his death runes. But he didn't see that I… that I wasn't so stupid that I wouldn't come into a forest full of ghosts unarmed. I managed to get a dagger - iron - out of my pocket. I slashed at him. You saw earlier it doesn't quite do much damage to him, but it… discombobulates him for a moment. Enough so that my… my lovely guide, the sweet ghost who had been trying so hard to help managed to tell me that all I had to do was rescind my invitation and get rid of the runes."

"So you - "

"Yes, half this artistry is mine," she said, nodding grimly.

"You managed to escape then?"

"Yes, though I'm not sure how. Just because I revoked permission didn't make me invincible, but something stopped him from coming after me," Carrow said.

"Your ghost friend?"

"Possibly, but I think that might have been beyond her ability."

"So why didn't you just leave after you got out of the forest?" Arthur said.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Not to me."

"Same reason you came back," Carrow said.

"Thomas?"

"Yes, he's got some sort of pull. I don't know if it's the power we give him or something of his own… He'd be eight by now, I thought he was stuck in a loop here… I'm not sure," she said wistfully.

"So you just stayed at the edge of the forest…"

"I could tell you I was spending my days researching and trying to find a way to free my little boy, but honestly I'd exhausted my resources by that time. I… was waiting. I was too afraid to come back here for the longest time, but then you got my home burned down," Carrow said.

"Sorry about that," Arthur replied sheepishly.

"Well, I say mine…"

"You didn't murder someone for it?"

"What? Oh no! Though I did find a corpse inside. I buried him and well, claimed it," she said.

Arthur rolled his eyes at her, realizing that it was _just_ like her to do such a thing. He stared at her for a moment, trying to sort through everything. She'd been dealing with so much on her own, how one person could just hold on to all of this by themselves was beyond him. Not one friend for two years.

"Why didn't you find help? Or come to Camelot and demand -"

"I did. Either I was shrugged off as a drunk or ignored. On one particularly annoying occasion I was nearly arrested by the knights of Camelot probably to be sentenced to death. If you did not owe me your life and the life of your friend, would you have listened to me? Of course it didn't hurt that you were forced to wade through the forest and see for yourself…" she said, rolling her eyes at him. She was right, of course. He would have arrested her. He would not have given her the time of day. He tried not to think of how many others he had ignored on similar claims. He was his father's son, alright. And he was ashamed of that.

"So are we safe in here? If this is his bloody conduit?"

"I told you its energy is dissipating. Keldor… Well, it's like the spectre said, he's on the spirit realm, he needs something _more_ to interact with us. Though I suppose he could see us, I'm not sure how all that works," Carrow said.

"Why is he doing all this? What good is it doing him?"

Carrow paused, turning her head to the side as she grinned at him again. "Well, Arthur Pendragon, what is it that most men desire above all else? Even more than power?" Arthur shook his head. "Immortality. Or, in his case, simply to _exist_. Forever. If he has to do that by being dead first, so be it."

##

_So yay, some questions maybe answered. If something doesn't make sense or I've screwed something up somehow, please don't hesitate to tell me, half the time I don't know what I'm doing anyway to be honest. Love to hear your thoughts and reviews!_


	7. Chapter 7: Reunite

Chapter 7: _Reunite_

##

"So do we know why Arthur would have come in here alone? Or do we think he was dragged in by something else?" Gwaine asked. Tactful, the rogue was not. Merlin shook his head, following after Leon. The forest had been quiet since they'd entered. No ghosts or specters to speak of and Merlin was growing paranoid that around every corner they'd end up falling into a precipice of some sort. Light was diminishing all the while and Merlin was growing tired, however he didn't want to stop until they'd found Arthur.

"We're not sure, Gwaine. But there were no signs of struggle," Leon said shortly. Merlin was honestly a bit surprised that the rest of the knights had allowed Gwaine to follow at all. Only Leon and Bryant were with them now, the other three had circled in a different direction no matter that Merlin had warned them against it. He had grown so tired of having sound advice ignored.

"Do we think Carrow came to collect him? Would he have followed her in, do you think?"

"Would _you_ follow a witch into a haunted forest?" Bryant asked.

"Depends. She a looker?" Gwaine said, a grin spreading across his face.

"Not exactly," Merlin said, thinking of Carrow's damaged face. But part of him wondered if perhaps it was a disguise of some sort. He had rolled issues of trust concerning Carrow around in his mind often enough, but each time they had been discarded and shoved to the side. There were too many ways where she seemed to be a victim here for her to be playing games with them. Unless she knew how to manifest ghosts as well, but that would have taken a far more powerful witch than herself.

"What does not exactly mean?" he pressed.

"Means she's a freak, mate. But hey, who knows what the prince is into these days?" Bryant said. Merlin frowned at the back of Bryant's head, wondering when the young knight had grown such gall. Granted Merlin hadn't known Bryant for very long, he had only been knighted a month and a half ago. Arthur had said he'd only made it by the skin of his teeth, though. Leon slapped Bryant upside the head for his comment. Leon reminded Merlin quite a lot of a mother hen at times.

"She used to be beautiful, I'm sure, but she's sort of scarred now," Merlin explained.

"Ah. Well, that probably disproves my theory of the young Prince running off to elope, then," Gwaine said.

"Not necessarily, though it would probably be against his will. Honestly I could see Carrow doing such a thing. Certainly wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen out here," Merlin said, giving Gwaine a worried smile. What he needed was a moment alone, he'd been trying to think of some sort of spell to quietly lead them to Arthur. He didn't want anything flashy, just something to help them find his trail. Merlin recalled Carrow's insistence that the trees of Malorne liked to move. He didn't doubt that now as nothing looked remotely familiar from the last time he was here. Not that this was saying much. Merlin was rubbish at tracking.

Dawdling a bit while Gwaine, Bryant, and Leon chatted about the sorts of things that indeed made a good woman, Merlin struggled with a spell that would sense Arthur's presence. A finding spell, of sorts. It was a small white orb that hummed quietly, Merlin felt he could blame the forest if they asked about it and fabricate a trail to explain his reasoning for going a certain way. It curved westward and Merlin called after the knights.

"What makes you think he's gone that way?"

"Footprints, two sets, see? I think we've finally found their trail," Merlin lied. Gwaine looked at him suspiciously then nodded.

"Don't know how we missed those, well done, Merlin," Gwaine said. Merlin had gotten the feeling that Gwaine had begun to suspect him when they first met, though he didn't know how. Gwaine just always seemed to have some kind of knowing grin on his face, though that didn't mean he actually _knew_ anything, did it?

Gwaine clapped Merlin on the back as they passed. "So you've got nothing to add then, Merlin?" Bryant said. As he'd missed half their conversation he wasn't sure what the man was on about. Though he did notice that Bryant had suddenly adopted Arthur's way of enunciating the first syllable of his name which made Merlin bristle irritably.

"About what?" Merlin asked.

"About what makes a perfect woman," Leon grunted.

"Um," Merlin said, not really knowing what sort of answer they happened to be looking for. Freya crossed his mind briefly as she did from time to time. Time to time being at least once a day. "I don't know. Someone good and kind. Someone I could be myself around is really all I could ask for."

"My you're easy," Bryant said, snorting at him.

"Hold on, did you see that?" Gwaine said suddenly. Merlin's heart jumped as he thought it must be his tracker orb that Gwaine must have seen. "I think it looked like a woman." Merlin glanced around, knowing that no matter how drunk Gwaine may or may not still be, he wouldn't mistake a glowing orb of light for a woman.

Gwaine took off running through the trees, Merlin following close behind, spotting the orb headed in the same direction as Gwaine was running. He saw no woman, though, and wondered if Gwaine hadn't gotten that ghost he'd wanted.

"Don't you see her?" Gwaine shouted behind him.

"No, are you sure, Gwaine?" Leon replied.

"Yes, yes! Look, she's right there for godsake!" Gwaine stopped then, as they came to a creek. Merlin wasn't sure, but he thought it might be the same one that they had rested at all those days ago. Skidding to a halt, the knights looked around for the woman that Gwaine had been talking about, but Merlin was looking at the ground. He wondered if perhaps there might still be some clue that he, Arthur, and Carrow had been there.

"We've been here, Arthur and I," Merlin said as he spotted the remains of the small fire pit Carrow had cooked their fish in. At least he was fairly sure it was from them, it had nearly been destroyed. As he pointed at the pit, he saw, through the corner of his eye, the watchful woman in white.

"What're you doin' here, love? It's alright we're not going to hurt you," Gwaine said, reaching out to her carefully. It seemed that he was having an easier job seeing her now than Merlin was.

"Gwaine, I think you've lost it, mate, there's nothing there," Bryant said.

"Shut it, Bryant," Leon barked. He may not be able to see it, but Merlin thought that Leon must at least believe where the younger knight seemed to think that they'd all gone off the deep end, following only because it was his duty not to argue.

Gwaine made his way toward the woman, at least that was what Merlin thought. He couldn't see her unless he looked at her in a very particular way, it was irritating the piss out of him, actually. Was she _choosing_ who she appeared to or was it something else? The dead were a fickle bunch, that was for damn sure.

"Definitely sure she's dead then," Gwaine said. "I didn't notice earlier, but her neck's… been slit."

"Before what? You've seen her before?" Merlin asked.

"She wants us to follow, I think," Gwaine said, his attention elsewhere. Merlin wondered if little tracking orb hadn't simply been for nothing.

"Is she saying anything?"

"She's just motioning for me to follow. Kind of hard for her to talk with a hole in her throat, mate," Gwaine replied. He then proceeded to follow. No question about it, he just went for it. Merlin bit the inside of his cheek wearily before galloping up the slick rocks after him.

"Yeah, you two head off on your wild goose chase then! It's probably one of those damn spectres!" Bryant called.

"Merlin, we'll set up camp here, it's getting late anyway," Leon said reluctantly. Merlin saw the sense in that, but Gwaine had already disappeared into thick of the forest. He nodded at at Leon, figuring this was a good beacon anyway for when they made their way back.

"If we're not back by tomorrow afternoon then…. you come and find us," Merlin said. Leon smiled, nodding. Bryant just huffed.

Bounding into the forest after Gwaine, he caught up with him quickly enough and Gwaine continued his pace after the woman, Merlin following blindly after. Until Gwaine suddenly stopped, peering into the forest at what he assumed must be the ghost. "She… something just took her."

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked, a fear growing in his belly.

"Don't you hear that?" Merlin strained his ears, but all he could hear was the wind rustling through the trees. Maybe an owl.

"Hear what?"

"It's like… it's gurgling. I think that's her! Damn it, she's in trouble! It was like… I don't know, I think it was a knight or something, he just grabbed her and the two disappeared," Gwaine said, spinning around and putting his hands on his head. He was suddenly very serious, worry in his eyes.

"I think she was trying to lead us to Arthur," Merlin said, spotting his glowing orb bouncing erratically twenty feet ahead.

"Yes, I know that. That silly little ball of yours has been only just ahead of her this whole time," Gwaine said.

"My… my ball? What?"

"Now's not the time for you to beg me not to spill the beans to Arthur, mate. Don't worry about it. It's _me_ you're talking to," Gwaine said, managing a smile in spite of the concern that still plagued his features. Merlin was taken aback by this sudden revelation. He thought he'd been doing a rather good job of keeping his secret, but assuredly not. But Gwaine was right, now wasn't the time to deal with that.

And yet, "How long have you known?"

"First time we met you magicked half a dozen bloody plates to zoom across the room. Course I chocked that up to my being inebriated, but then at the melee I saw you up in the stands with that shit eating grin on your face after the fake Sir Oswald fell off his bloody horse, I knew you'd done something. Just didn't know what," Gwaine said.

"But that doesn't -"

"Then at the bar, I saw your eyes glow and a bench fly into the men attacking Sir Leon. I mean there's just too many coincidences, Merlin."

Merlin pursed his lips, following close behind Gwaine and the little golden ball of light. Gaius was going to be absolutely appalled that Gwaine knew of his magic, but Merlin couldn't see the harm at the moment. The rogue was a good man and a reasonable one. Besides that Gwaine had never been very adamant about magic one way or the other. The only thing Gwaine disliked were nobles and even then, he was risking his life to save one right now. Besides, it would be nice not to have to pretend, at least around one person. Even so, Merlin's stomach was churning at the idea.

They walked for another hour in silence, afraid that if they were too loud they may stir something else in the forest. Gwaine seemed to be deep in thought, something which Merlin found oddly comical. He wasn't the sort to be deep in anything. Merlin knew it was probably about the ghost woman. Merlin's guess was that she was taken by another ghost, the knight that nearly attacked him at the old camp flashed through his mind. Carrow had said that he had been stuck in some sort of loop, then how could they interact with one another? It was clear the woman had broken free of hers, it would make sense another could. And the other didn't want her helping them.

"One more step and I'll put a hole in your belly." Gwaine stopped short, and Merlin saw the glint of a blade against Gwaine's stomach.

"Easy now," Gwaine said, raising his hands in surrender.

Merlin, however, didn't move.

"How's about you show off some of them fancy tricks of yours, Merlin," Gwaine said, raising an eyebrow at Merlin.

"Yeah, Merlin, show us a magic trick. Somethin' shiny, come on," Carrow said, coming into view. The tracking orb glowed softly around her face for a moment and then flew toward the mouth of a cave.

"Mind keeping it down? I don't need Prince Charming finding out," Merlin hissed, nauseous at the very idea. Gwaine's reveal had been quite enough for one evening.

"This is your witch, I presume - ouch, hey easy with that thing, lady!" Gwaine said as Carrow jabbed him a bit harder.

"Carrow! It's alright, Gwaine's with me," Merlin said, motioning for her to lower the sword. "Where's Arthur?"

"I chopped him up into little pieces and put him in a stew," Carrow said. Merlin could hear the smirk forming on her face. He knew that Arthur must be in the cave, after all the orb had been programmed with him in mind. It wouldn't have gone anywhere if Arthur wasn't alright. Carrow held the sword against Gwaine for only a second longer, before dropping it.

She glanced at Merlin. "Your boyfriend's in there, but do be quiet. He needs his beauty sleep. He's had a big day, all tuckered out," Carrow said, tone condescending. Merlin shook his head, but headed towards the cave, which seemed to be glowing with those odd runes. He recognized a few of them from his readings on ghosts, they were darker runes, ones that Carrow hadn't used. Necromantic runes. His skin began to crawl as he wondered where the hell they were, he hoped Carrow would fill them in.

Slipping into the cave quietly, he saw that Arthur really was asleep, his chest rising and falling softly. Merlin let out a sigh of relief. He supposed that with Arthur safe and sound that meant his itchy little destiny was still intact. He had actually been worried that Arthur had been led to his death or that Carrow was planning some ritual sacrifice that required royalty. You would be surprised how often that was some sort of stipulation for dark magic. Merlin would have thought they'd make their spells require the blood of a commoner, something more readily available.

Deciding to let Arthur get some well earned sleep, Merlin edged back outside. Carrow was chatting with Gwaine, now holding a torch which glowed warmly.

"Is that Arthur's sword?" Merlin asked.

"Why yes it is," she replied with a smile. Merlin raised an eyebrow at her. "What? He threw _mine_ out here somewhere, I just haven't found it yet," she said, shrugging. Arthur wouldn't be pleased about that when he woke up.

"Why did he throw -"

"Carrow's been telling me about the ghosts, Merlin, she says that they seem to have a pesky little iron allergy," Gwaine said, interrupting Merlin's train of thought.

He nodded, recalling something about that in his reading.

"When were you going to tell _me_ that?" Gwaine asked.

"Well it didn't occur to me! Do I have to think of everything?" Merlin said, scratching his head irritably as he tried to keep his voice down. "Speaking of which, why did you steal Arthur away in the middle of the night?"

"Not the best segue, Merlin, but I'll take it," Carrow said, grinning at him.

"Before we get into all that, can we take a seat? My feet are bloody killing me," Gwaine said, grimacing. Merlin happened to agree with him. He was growing sick of travel and honestly couldn't wait until this entire adventure was over. Unfortunately he didn't think that was going to happen very soon.

Gwaine gathered wood for a small fire and they gathered around it so that Carrow could fill them in. Merlin set about trying to light when Carrow grabbed his arm.

"Merlin, love, do it properly," she said. It took Merlin a moment to catch her meaning. He looked hesitantly at Gwaine, who gave him a very small but encouraging smile. Merlin whispered a few syllables, his eyes flashed gold, and a fire burst forth from the wood. Carrow clapped, then quickly stopped, glancing back at the cave to see if Arthur had stirred from his sleep.

"That's quite handy," Gwaine grunted, sitting back in the leaves. He made a pained sound as he did so and lifted up another sword.

"You found it!" Carrow said happily, taking the blunt sword from him and lying it next to Arthur's.

"Alright, then, Carrow, mind spinning us a story?" Gwaine said.

####

It didn't take all that long for Carrow to tell her side of the story. Arthur had followed the ghost of her son, Thomas, into the forest, the boy who'd been plaguing his dreams. Apparently the boy thought Arthur would be of use in the quest to free the forest. She had told them that Thomas had been murdered by Keldor, the leader of a Saxon army who destroyed Maestag all those years ago. Apparently he was some kind of necromancer who's evil managed to persist even through death. Merlin noticed that she seemed to be glossing over quite a bit of the tale, being uncharacteristically concise, clear even.

The ghosts of the forest were more or less under this Keldor's control and he wanted Carrow's body as some sort of conductor for his power so that he could resurface permanently on the physical realm.

"But then why isn't he taking you right now?" Gwaine asked. "We're right next to his… cave, with all the… doodles, shouldn't he be sweeping in and gutting us all?"

"He can't, he needs something else. I don't know what it is but… when he managed to almost get me before, it was after he'd spilled innocent blood. Necromancy is such an old wishy washy branch of magic, I haven't been able to find very much good information on it," Carrow said.

"Is it part of the Old Religion?" Merlin asked.

"No. The Old Religion gets most of its power from what is natural - the Earth, the elements. Necromancy is a perverted form of magic, if it has any ties whatsoever to the Old Religion they have all been distorted," Carrow said, disgust reading in her eyes. Merlin nodded, glancing at Gwaine who's gaze sort of glazed over whenever they broke off to discuss magic.

"Right, whatever that means. How do we get rid of this bastard, I can't jab him in the heart with an iron sword?"

"No, because I tried that," Arthur said coming up behind them yawning. "What in the hell are you doing here, you drunken sod?"

"The usual, saving your ass," Gwaine replied, grinning. Merlin hoped that Arthur really had just woken up and hadn't overheard most of their conversation. Arthur was usually a fairly deep sleeper, though he supposed it would have been hard to sleep very deep in this place with a shifty witch keeping watch. Though it occurred to Merlin that he ought to be surprised Arthur trusted Carrow enough to fall asleep with only her to watch his back.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, clotpole. Well, sort of," Merlin said, scooting over on his log for Arthur to sit next to him. Arthur took the seat, elbowing Merlin painfully in the ribs as he did so by way of hello, thank you for coming to save my life. "What do you mean you already tried that?"

"Oh I may have left that bit out," Carrow said, smiling sheepishly at Arthur, who rolled his eyes at her.

"Keldor sort of attacked us when she tried some sort of spell earlier," Arthur said stiffly. "The iron only halts him for a second but he sort of just powers through it. I had to knock her out to break whatever… connection it is they have." Merlin frowned at this, wondering what the hell sort of connection Keldor and she had. He felt like he was missing part of the story.

"Do those cuts on your face fit into the story, Carrow?" Merlin said, realizing she hadn't said what happened there.

"No, Merlin. What we've got to do is find someone who _does_ know about necromancy. I was thinking… why couldn't we fight fire with fire? He's dead, isn't he? Why can't we use his bloody runes against him?" Arthur said. Merlin was shocked that Arthur seemed to be suggesting they _use_ magic to fight Keldor. In fact, Merlin didn't understand why Arthur seemed so adamant about this whole thing. Something had changed.

"Can't we just burn the whole forest down?" Gwaine asked.

"Yes, so then they could just haunt a _field_," Carrow replied. Gwaine frowned smugly at her, crossing his arms.

"That would just change the scenery, Gwaine. Arthur's right, well, perhaps not entirely. Using necromancy seems iffy at best," Merlin said. Merlin was trying to think, who would know about necromancy, how to fight it? He knew it was beyond Gaius. Merlin just didn't know that many other sorcerers. Except, of course, for the ones bent on Camelot's destruction. Morgauese came to mind, but that was obviously useless. "What about the druids?"

"The druids?" Gwaine asked. "I've never even seen one o' them."

"I don't think the druids would welcome my presence," Arthur said.

"No, but perhaps if only Carrow and I went?" Merlin said.

Arthur seemed to mull this over, though Merlin had been expected to be shot down immediately.

"We don't even know where they are," Carrow said. She didn't seem very taken with the idea and Merlin wondered why.

"Yes, but I'm sure Giaus might," Merlin replied.

"Then we'd have to travel all the way back to Camelot," Carrow said.

"Which I happened to be banned from," Gwaine added, he sounded quite proud of himself. Merlin didn't fancy that idea much, either, his feet were still throbbing.

"How do you get banned from an entire kingdom?" Carrow asked, sincerely intrigued by the idea. Merlin guessed that Gwaine and Carrow might actually get on, though he didn't know if that was necessarily _good_. He didn't even want to think of the trouble they might end up in, both of them egging the other on. It would be catastrophic.

"One simply has to try and save the Prince's life. Instant ban for life," Gwaine said.

"Not exactly important," Arthur said firmly. Carrow giggled quietly.

"Are you always the damsel, then, sweet prince?" Carrow asked.

"Is that my bloody sword?" Arthur retorted, looking at his empty scabbard and then back at Carrow who had been loftily drawing her protection runes into the dirt with his sword.

She shrugged. "You weren't using it." Arthur hopped up to take it from her as she drew it out of reach, taunting him for a second before letting him have it. Merlin rolled his eyes at the pair of them, glancing at Gwaine who was sporting a suggestive grin.

Just as Arthur had settled down again, Carrow suddenly hopped to her feet, eyes widening. Merlin looked where she was looking, but saw nothing. Every time she did something like this, he wondered if it wasn't just for her own amusement. But Gwaine's eyes had gone wide in horror as well.

"What is it you two?" Merlin said. His question was answered shortly thereafter when the woman in white appeared. She was drifting there in front of them. She looked as if she had been drowned, blood still seeped from the slit in her throat. There were chains around her wrists now, recently broken. When he had seen her the first time, in the forest, she hadn't been this way. She had been whole and beautiful, he assumed as she had been in life.

"What has he done to you?" Carrow asked in horror. She tried to speak, but it only came out a frothy, gurgled mess.

Gwaine went towards her holding out his hand. "She… I helped you just the other day though, your cart! You were fine then!"

"No, Gwaine, she was always dead," Merlin whispered sadly, taking a step forward as well as he realized why Gwaine had said he'd seen her before.

"She's trying to tell us something, that bastard slit her throat so she couldn't, didn't he?" Arthur asked Carrow, who nodded sadly.

"Le-Leave," the woman managed. "Dr.. Dru…"

"Druids?" Gwaine offered. She nodded. Her eyes widened and she blipped out of existence.

##

_So… Reunited and it feels so good? Yeah, cheesy music for the win. Um, sorry this took longer than usual to get up, school's kicking my ass. I don't think I ever mentioned this, but the story's set just after the episode "Gwaine," which is like season 3 episode 4. But I mean, from here on out it's going to be very AU, but still self contained. If that makes sense. _

_Your comments/reviews are absolutely adored, thanks for keeping up with me!_


	8. Chapter 8: Ambush

Chapter 8: _Ambush_

_##_

Arthur had very nearly resigned himself to forcing the group to stay near the cave. It was the dead of night, he thought it might be too dangerous to continue to push their luck in the middle of the forest. But Carrow insisted otherwise. She managed to convince him, if only because the dead woman seemed to have gone through a hell of a lot of trouble to give them that message before Keldor could force her away again.

Carrow was leading the way, still dragging that blunt sword behind her even though Arthur offered to carry it for her. Rather, he offered to have Merlin carry it. She was still nursing a broken arm, but of course she insisted she was fine. He didn't understand why she simply refused help. It was beginning to grate on his last nerve. Gwaine followed right after Carrow and Merlin lagged behind. The servant caught up slightly, putting a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"You really are alright, right?" Merlin asked.

Arthur frowned, nodding. "Yes, _why_, Merlin?"

"I don't know, you disappeared into the bloody forest without a word and you turn up with well, a woman you deemed psychopathic not two days ago," Merlin whispered.

Arthur was surprised that Merlin was sincerely worried about this. Though he supposed it made sense, he was taking a lot on faith with Carrow. "When did you become so cynical, Merlin?"

"I'm not the one who's cynical. You are, usually. I trust Carrow for the most part. I just think it's odd that _you_ do as well," Merlin said, bringing up a fairly good point. Arthur wondered how he let a servant get so close that he could call him out on deviations from his own personality. "Did something happen…? Carrow seemed to give us the abridged version."

"What? No. It got a bit hairy for a moment with Keldor showing up. Can't we just say I decided to fine tune my cynicism and move on?" Arthur said, bristling. He was fairly certain that Carrow had only left out the bits concerning her face and how Thomas had gotten into the forest. She hadn't liked admitting to him that it was her fault or that she couldn't handle it on her own. They had that in common, the need to appear strong where they weren't.

Mostly Arthur just didn't like what Merlin seemed to be insinuating.

"Alright, fine. No need to be so uptight about it, your royal pratness," Merlin said. Arthur punched him in the arm.

####

"Sire?" Sir Leon said as Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine, and Carrow came clambering into the clearing where Merlin and Gwaine had left them hours previous. Sir Bryant still seemed to be asleep, along with Sir Hector. Arthur frowned, wondering where the rest of his patrol had disappeared to, heart clenching into a fist under his ribcage. He prayed they hadn't gotten lost looking for him. Merlin had said he'd left Leon and Bryant here while they followed the woman in white, his last three knights had gone to another part of the forest.

"Leon, where are William and Tirion?" Arthur asked.

"Well… Hector stumbled onto our camp barely an hour ago. He said that they'd run into one of those specters. William followed it willingly and -"

"He's not dead, is he?" Arthur said.

"Oh, no! Hector saw it for what it was. Asked it how to find us. Then they seemed to run into another ghost. And that well. William and Tirion got spooked," Leon said sheepishly, obviously ashamed of his fellow knights. "They ran back to Loxley, tails between their damn legs."

Arthur's mouth twitched into a smile. "But they're okay?"

"So Hector says," Leon replied, sounding a touch disgusted. At this point Arthur wasn't exactly worried about his cowardly men, so long he hadn't gotten more killed he'd take that as a blessing. Granted he would probably let them relieve Merlin of his stable duties for the next month or so. If they ever managed to get home, that is.

"Right well, wake Bryant and Hector up. We're moving out tonight," Arthur commanded.

"Sire, shouldn't we wait till morning?" Leon asked.

"No can do, mate, too dangerous tonight. We've got us a guide now, though," Gwaine cut in, jerking his thumb at Carrow. Leon looked at her suspiciously.

"Sire, are you sure?" Arthur sighed, he was growing a bit tired of people questioning his judgment. It was no wonder his father had simply stopped listening to everyone's advice, that certainly would have been easier.

"Yes. Gather the things, the witch is our guide. I want no more questions or input from any of you until we're out of this bloody forest, am I clear?" Arthur said, forcing as much authority into his tone as possible. Luckily everyone took the hint and began collecting themselves. "Also, Carrow, give that damn sword to Merlin."

Carrow glared at him for a moment as though she might argue, but gave the sword to Merlin, who took it with an amused smile on his face. She hugged her broken arm to her chest looking uncertain what to do with herself and then bounded down toward the other edge of the creek. Arthur shook his head, a small smile finding his lips.

Ten minutes later and they were moving at a dizzying pace through the forest. Carrow in the lead and Sir Hector bringing up the rear with Sir Bryant. None of them were particularly chatty, exhaustion settling in. Most of them hadn't slept for more than a couple hours in the past two days, but they couldn't chance staying in one place. The hair on the back of Arthur's neck was prickling and every now and then he would feel a cold breath at his ear which quickened his pace.

He came up behind Carrow as she stopped to get her bearings. "How far are we?"

"Not far, I didn't have to give us such a wide birth as the last time you were here - we don't have to worry about meeting up with anyone unsavory on the outside," Carrow said, absently. She bent down to the ground, squinting her eyes as though she could see through the dark.

"What are you looking for?" Arthur asked.

"You sure you want to know?" Carrow said.

"No. But tell me anyway."

"Come here," she said, yanking his arm roughly so that he would have to bend down as well. He nearly tripped and glared at her. She had merely gotten him back for making her discard her sword. "Now put your hand down, here," she said, forcing his hand to the ground, her skin was rough with callouses against his.

"What am I feeling?" he asked.

"It's warm there, no?"

It was warm, at least compared to the blustery air that whistled across his face. He nodded at her and she breathed a few of those unnerving words. There was a glow in her eyes at she did so and he tried to rip his hand out of hers, but Carrow held it firm. Something went through him then, a feeling of warmth that sort of buzzed, it felt similar to when he had first entered Keldor's cave - almost electric. That electric feeling seeped from his fingers into the floor in a glowing line that reminded him of the runes. She took her hand from his and he lifted it from the ground, wide eyed.

"What is that?" Arthur breathed, watching as the glow zoomed forward across the forest.

"Ley lines. Too dark to track as I normally would, but this forest is built on a system of those ley lines. The one I've been following should lead us out," she said, smiling at him as though waiting for him to rebuke her.

"Why didn't I notice that earlier if you've been doing it the whole night?"

"You'd only see it if the magic went through you, it's a neat little trick I picked up from the last time I met the druids," she said.

"There a problem here?" Gwaine said, hovering over the two of them. "We're not lost are we?"

Arthur looked at Carrow, who had gotten up and was dusting off her knees. "No, shouldn't take us another hour to get out of this godforsaken place," Arthur said.

"Well that's good news," Merlin said, coming up behind them slightly winded. He rested against Carrow's iron sword a moment and Arthur noticed that Carrow had edged towards it with grabby hands.

"You don't need to be lugging around a damn sword with a broken arm, Carrow," Arthur said.

She scowled at him and tottered off, Merlin raising an eyebrow at him.

"Come on then, lads. She's getting away from us," Gwaine said running ahead after Carrow. Arthur followed and they group marched on in silence for another twenty minutes or so. Arthur had really wanted to ask Carrow more about the ley lines, but now wasn't really the time. He had heard of them only because they tended to lead to stones of power. His father had had quite a few of those stones destroyed so that sorcerers couldn't channel them, but Arthur had no idea how many there might be or how else they could be used. He thought that this those ley lines might have lent Keldor some of his power as he recalled the way the runes at the cave had glowed the same as the path they were following.

"Arthur stay back!" Carrow shrieked suddenly, she was only a few yards in front of him. He stopped.

"What is it?" Merlin said coming up right behind him, Gwaine and the others in tow.

"Carrow?" Arthur called. As he did so, five of Keldor's men, dressed in black and red uniform appeared in front of them, swords drawn. Arthur's eyes widened at this last ditch effort to reclaim Carrow. They seemed to surround her. The ghosts had never been truly transparent, but this time they did seem slightly opaque.

"Arthur just take your men and go, it's not worth the fight! All they want is me!" Carrow said, her voice quite unsteady as she backed up to a tree. Arthur didn't see Keldor and wondered if the man had simply sent patrols out in all directions in search of them. His men were not advancing on them, but seemed to be making sure that Carrow would not escape. Waiting for Keldor to arrive, no doubt.

One of the knights went up to Carrow and knocked her down, hitting her in the back of the head with the brunt of his sword. Arthur's blood began to boil.

"Leave the girl, save yourselves," came the deep and hollow voice of one of the knights. Arthur couldn't even tell which one had said it, it was almost as though they had all echoed the same sentiment. Arthur yanked his sword out of his scabbard, and heard the rest of his men doing the same.

"Merlin?" Arthur said.

"Yeah, here you go," Merlin said, trading Carrow's sword for Arthur's without question.

Arthur raised the blunted weapon. "Men?" he shouted.

"Ready when you are, sire," Leon replied. Bryant and Hector unsheathed their swords and nodded as well.

"Got your back, mate," Gwaine added, raising his own sword. Arthur charged into the throng of Keldor's men. He knew that none of the other's weapons would be quite so effective against a group of ghosts, but so long they could keep them busy while he knocked them down, that would be enough to get rid of them for a time.

He met the first knight's blow, surprised that it was so solid. He spotted Carrow still lying unconscious. Merlin had gone to her, dragging her out of the way of the fight. All Arthur needed was one well placed blow for each of them. Steel clashed against steel. Keeping an eye on the rest of them, he was amazed to see that the five enemies seemed to fight as one, each blow calculated to work with the rest. One mind for five knights. Keldor must be controlling them from afar. Arthur's skin crawled at the thought. The spirits of these men had been contorted into the same unquestioning weapons they had been in life.

He kicked the first to the ground, jabbing the iron sword into it's gut. It disappeared in a brief burst of smoke, just as the knight had when Carrow had caught it off guard with the sword. Leon had another of the dark knights backed up to a tree, making it easy for Arthur to step in and slice through the knight's chest. Hector and Bryant were yards away.

Hector's fighting seemed off to him, not worse, but better. It was almost as though he were gliding. Arthur shook his head, choosing to rescue Bryant first, who was having trouble with his knight. Arthur knew he shouldn't have cleared Bryant as a knight, but they'd been running low on prospective knights. His footwork was absolutely horrendous. Bryant fell to the ground just as Arthur got to him but then something strange happened, a gust of wind crackled through the forest, sweeping through the remaining three knights and knocking them all to the ground.

Arthur swept through and stabbed them out of existence. He glanced over at Carrow who seemed to be regaining consciousness already. Merlin was leaning over her and the two were grinning goofily at one another. Arthur ran up to them, leaning against a tree to catch his breath.

"Did - did you do that?" Arthur said.

"Do what?" Carrow said, rubbing the back of her head and wincing. She struggled to her feet, Merlin clutched her arm to help steady her.

"That… gust of wind thing!" Arthur said.

"Could you all stop spinning for a moment?" Carrow said. She promptly collapsed. Merlin and Arthur caught her, laying her down gently. Gwaine and the others rushed over to see what was the matter.

"She alright?" Gwaine asked.

"I think she just fainted," Merlin said, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Well we should be near the edge of the forest anyway, can't we just carry her out?" Gwaine asked. "I'll carry her."

He tossed the iron sword at Gwaine, who caught it in surprise. "No, I've got her," Arthur said, picking Carrow up gently. She was lighter than he expected.

"Well, do we know which way to go, Arthur?" Merlin said, getting to his feet.

"Should be just this way," Arthur said, picturing the glowing white ley line in his mind. "We've got to hurry, that wouldn't have gotten rid of them for long."

####

Merlin sat with Gwaine quietly watching as their warm fire ate the rest of the sad little twigs they had gathered for it. Once they had gotten out of the forest, they had all more or less collapsed. Arthur was already snoring lightly not ten feet away. Merlin couldn't help but notice that he had chosen a spot quite close to where he'd laid Carrow. He wondered if the Prince hadn't already grown far too attached to the odd witch.

He supposed Arthur wouldn't admit that, though.

Merlin was worried that she might have a concussion. She had woken for only a minute to watch as Merlin had blasted the remaining ghosts to the ground. She'd even managed a laugh before passing out again. It was nice that someone would be giving him credit for the deed.

"You're probably going to have to tell him before all this is over, Merlin," Gwaine said, tone serious.

"Tell who what?" Merlin replied, snapped out of his thoughts. Gwaine raised an eyebrow.

"May not come to that," Merlin said.

"Probably will though. If we have to fight fire with fire on this thing, Arthur's going to have to be made aware he's got a hell of a weapon on his side," Gwaine said. "I mean honestly, worst case scenario is he bans you from Camelot. Then you can tavern hop with me." The rogue winked at him.

"Yes and as fun as that sounds, I'd really rather not," Merlin replied. He absolutely did not want to tell Arthur he had magic until it was absolutely necessary. Even then he hoped he could just continue blaming all that on Carrow. It had worked so far.

"I wonder if I still _am_ banned. I mean couldn't Arthur rescind that on behalf of my unadulterated bravery and charm? I think I've brought quite a lot to this little quest of yours," Gwaine said. Merlin grinned at him.

"I don't know if anyone would even notice you back in Camelot. It's not as if we've got posters of you pinned up," Merlin said. "How does one enforce the banning of a harmless drunk?"

"Harmless? You always know just what to say," Gwaine replied. "Wake Leon and Hector up for the next round of watch, alright? Me eyeballs are about to fall out."

Merlin nodded, watching as Gwaine found a nice patch of grass to curl up on. Looking into the fire, his stomach began to churn at the prospect of the coming day. They would have to find the druids, which it seemed Carrow had a bit of a relationship with. He wondered if she knew about him, too. Emrys they always called him. He hoped that Emrys would have enough pull on the druids for them to help.

The woman in white's sad face flashed before his eyes once again and he wondered how many more like her there were. An entire village had been destroyed by Keldor and his men. Women and children were stuck wandering the forest for the rest of eternity unless they found a way to destroy it. The likelihood that it would be as simple as letting Arthur hack at it with some sort of magically imbued blade was very slim indeed. Excalibur had already crossed his mind, as a last ditch effort. He didn't know if it would work on a spirit like Keldor's. Perhaps if they found a way to bring him forth from the spirit realm, to the physical realm.

Perhaps if they made him mortal somehow. But then he would die and go back to manipulating spirits again. Merlin rubbed his eyes, deciding he needed sleep before he could think of an actual solution. He just hoped they would even be able to find the druids.

####

Arthur woke to sounds of bickering and the smell of fish. Gwaine and Carrow seemed to be cooking over the fire as the rest of his knights were packing up what little supplies they had. Arthur eyed Hector curiously as the man shoved his sword back into its sheath.

"I just don't think bruiseweed is the best seasoning for whatever the hell this is," Gwaine said.

"I'm sorry, I just don't seem to have _rosemary _lying around. Can you really afford to be picky?" Carrow argued.

"You're being a witch seems to be more or less useless as far as I can tell. Can't you transfigure the bruiseweed into rosemary and this parched little runt into an actual _meal_?_"_ Gwaine said.

"No. But I could probably turn you into a bloody frog if you don't stop whining," Carrow said.

"What's all this?" Arthur said loudly, interrupting the couple's squabble.

"It's probably a new species of contagion," Carrow said brightly. She seemed to be alright today, though her cheeks were flushed. She had thrown her frizzy hair into a messy braid, letting it hang over her shoulder. He saw that what he thought was fish was actually a skewered rat. Disease, indeed. "Keep your voice down though, little Merly's still asleep."

"Merly?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

She ignored the question and took the rat off the stick she'd been roasting it on, putting it on a crude plate that must have come from one of the knights' packs. Stealing Gwaine's sword from him, she messily chopped the rat into several pieces. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"I'm not eating that," Arthur said. His stomach rumbled hungrily.

"Well, this seems to be all we have until we find a village or a forest that's infested with deer rather than ghosts," Gwaine said.

Carrow rolled her eyes and tossed a bit of the rat's stomach to Arthur who caught it reluctantly. She picked up the plate and went to offer the other knights a bit of her beleaguered meal, not offering Gwaine any for his complaints. Arthur sat beside Gwaine, still looking at the rat suspiciously.

"Meat's meat," Arthur said finally, putting the entire bit in his mouth and chewing, making a face as he did so.

"Mmm good," Gwaine said, laughing at Arthur.

"One more piece for when Merlin wakes up," Carrow said, coming back around.

"So you're really not going to give me any?" Gwaine asked. Sighing heavily, she tossed him what looked like a leg and put the last, meatier bit of stomach aside for Merlin. Arthur laughed, happy to feel at ease for once.

He realized that he'd actually slept really well last night. For the first time in weeks, he'd slept without waking or dreaming. Thomas no longer sitting on his chest. Perhaps because the boy knew that Arthur would keep his word. Or maybe because Keldor had done something to Thomas, a repulsive little voice said in the back of his head.

"Carrow, were you really going to give up back there?" Arthur asked.

"Martyrdom is very in, you know," Carrow replied, that mischievous little grin easing onto her face. Her eyes betrayed her though, as they weren't smiling. Arthur let it drop, he knew she wasn't going to say anything more about last night anyway. At least not now.

Merlin woke soon after that, he looked less than pleased when Carrow offered him his take of the rat.

"Sire, we can leave as soon as you're ready," Leon said. "Where are we headed?"

Arthur didn't have a clue. The druids were a sneaky bunch of people, of course they needed to be in order to survive. Uther had already been hellbent on hunting them down and killing them, though Arthur had never agreed with that. They were known to be a peaceful people, but Uther distrusted anyone who used magic. He glanced at Carrow wearily.

"We need to find the druids, do you have any idea where they might be?" Arthur asked her.

"It's not like we keep in touch," she said. "They're a nomadic sort, druids."

"What about… What about those ley lines. You were following one out of the forest, if they led to a stone, don't the druids use those?" Arthur asked. That had been part of the reason for finding and destroying them.

"What the hell's a ley line?" Gwaine asked.

"They're sort of like power lines," Merlin explained. Arthur was surprised he knew what they were. "They're deep underground and sort of… resonate with a certain magic. They lead to stones of power." Arthur looked at Merlin curiously. "What? I know stuff."

He supposed Merlin _did_ work with Gaius, though he didn't see Merlin as the sort to pick up a book for a bit of light reading.

"I can't really think of anything else to try. I also don't know exactly where we are, which is a bit of a nuisance," Carrow said.

Arthur nodded. "Ley lines it is, then. There's just one thing that's been bothering me. Hector, would you come here a moment?" The knight nodded, coming up to Arthur who unsheathed his sword.

"What are you doing, Arthur?" Leon asked.

"You're not part of the group, are you, Hector?" Arthur said, pointing the sword at him.

Carrow's eyes widened as she realized what Arthur had meant. Hector started laughing.

"I enjoyed working with you, your highness," the spectre said.

"I get a question."

"If you insist."

"My men, the real Hector, William, and Tirion, are they safe?"

"What a boring question, you could have asked where the druids were!" it said. Arthur jammed his sword into it's gut. "Yes, fine. They're exactly where I said they were. Got caught by the ghosts and ran screaming from the woods. They're in Loxley hoping you'll come to retrieve them." Arthur was about to run the thing through, but Carrow put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Let it go, Arthur," she said.

##

_Sort of a meh stopping point, I know. But anyway, thanks for reading and all your kind reviews! Hope to have the next one out sometime this weekend. _


	9. Chapter 9: Nightmare

Chapter 9: _Nightmare_

##

They had traveled another day along the ley lines, Carrow still leading the way. They had chosen to stop along a stream to recuperate for the afternoon and Arthur was polishing his sword. After they had left Malorne, he had taken his back from Merlin and was hoping that any enemy they encountered for the time being would be the usual flesh and blood sort. The tingle of magic that seemed to have seeped into him during his very short stay in the forest was already leaving him and he wondered if he didn't miss it.

Perched on a rock as he wiped down his blade, he watched absentmindedly as Carrow tried to educate Gwaine on the particulars of catching fish barehanded. She wasn't really that much better at it than he was, but she managed to speak with feigned authority on the matter which worked to her advantage since she only seemed to want Gwaine to make a fool of himself.

"Blackberries. Leon found," Merlin said, offering a sprig of them to Arthur.

"You know those are supposed to go in your mouth, right, Merlin?" Arthur said condescendingly. Merlin's face and hands were already stained a deep purple. Merlin grinned and wiped his mouth off on his sleeve. Arthur held up his sword for Merlin to assuage the damage in its reflection.

The servant sighed. "Alright, let's see you do it neatly then." Arthur rose to the challenge and expertly tossed a blackberry into his mouth. Merlin rolled his eyes and popped his own blackberry in, turning around to watch Carrow and Gwaine at the edge of the stream.

"Dinner and a show," Merlin said.

Arthur grunted as Carrow's laughter rang out. He didn't know why the two had begun to irritate him, they were only making use of what little free time they had and getting a meal out of it. She slipped on one of the rocks then, falling flat on her ass. Gwaine laughed at her, offering her a hand.

"She'd be good for Gwaine," Merlin remarked thoughtfully. "Don't think he'd settle down though. Besides, I doubt he'd be able to get past those scars."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Your point being?" Arthur.

"No point. I don't know about you though, but I really miss my bed. I even miss Gaius. And Gwen. I'll bet you miss Gwen," Merlin said.

"Subtle, Merlin. Very subtle," Arthur replied. He saw what his servant was doing. Nudging him along. Arthur decided not to play his games. He _did_ miss Gwen though, her easy smile. But being away from Camelot had its perks. For instance, he did _not_ miss Uther breathing down his neck. Or the disconcerting looks that Morgana seemed to be wearing every time he saw her anymore. He had not escaped responsibility entirely by taking on this quest, but it was a different sort of responsibility. He didn't feel like he was putting on a show or simply acting out his father's will. It was _his_ choice to help free Maestag, to help free Carrow. Having that choice felt extremely liberating.

"Merlin can you grab me that knife out of Leon's pack?" Gwaine called from the river. They seemed to be ready to cook up the fish. Merlin ambled over to Sir Leon who had already dug out the knife to hand to him.

Carrow came up and sat beside Arthur.

"You're sopping wet!" he said as she started dripping on him.

"Oh someone's touchy," she said, unamused by his snappish reply. She whispered a short spell under her breath, her eyes flashed gold. Arthur flinched at the action, shutting his eyes for a second as though he thought something might burst into flames. He opened them again and saw that Carrow was only a touch drier.

"You're still damp," Arthur said, snorting at her. She scowled and wrung her shirt out in front of her.

"It was deliberate. I actually love it when my trousers get all squidgy and start to chafe," she replied rigidly. Arthur shook his head at her, chuckling under his breath.

"I thought you were cooking up the fish?"

"Gwaine said that he has been heretofore unimpressed with my abilities as chef and so I have… passed the hat, shall we say?" she said. Arthur grimaced. Carrow had not necessarily been doing a _poor_ job as cook, it was just her ingredients had been rather limited the past day and a half. He had hoped a nice healthy fish would have turned out rather well by her hand, but if she'd given the reins to Gwaine… his stomach rumbled irritably.

"Fantastic," Arthur said grimly.

"Indeed." She paused, taking off the sling from around her neck and wringing it out. "It's curious, you know."

Arthur sighed, getting the feeling that her point in sitting next to him was not to socialize. "What's curious?"

"That your knights ended up back in Loxley. I can't help but notice you haven't sent Bryant or Leon to collect them," she replied, letting the water from her sling drip into a pool at her feet.

"Why is that curious?" Arthur said. She didn't answer, but readjusted the sling around her neck sloppily, making it all too evident she required his assisstance. He rolled his eyes. "Would you like help with that?"

"Yes, please," she said brightly, turning around and pulling her hair out of his way. He tied the sling into a knot at the back of her neck, making a point not to touch her skin.

"It's curious because Loxley is a village _full_ of cowards and secrets," Carrow said, letting her hair damp hair fall once he had finished. She turned around to face him. "The place is just as old as Maestag. When Keldor's army came to overtake them, they had to travel through Loxley. They could have sent word to Maestag to evacuate, they could have come to fight, but they made no effort whatsoever to aid them. They just let it happen."

"The elders there know a lot of what happen, but they don't like to talk about it. Unless, of course, you coax it out of them with a bit of wine," she said, her eyes glinting mischievously.

"Yes, and why are you telling me this now?" Arthur asked.

"Because I have a sinking feeling that before all of this is over, we may need Loxley," she replied cryptically, before hopping up. "I'll make sure Gwaine doesn't burn his royal highness's fish, shall I?"

"Wait, Carrow, should I have them collected or not?" Arthur called. She'd already begun buzzing around the fire, shoving Gwaine out of the way. Arthur grumbled under his breath as he watched her. Did she get off on withholding information? Was that it? It was as though if she didn't reveal everything in one fell swoop her head might just explode. He sheathed his sword and went to join them.

####

They reached a small town by the name of Colwyn the following day. Merlin was happy for it, too, as he had high hopes for a soft bed that night. He had found himself sleeping on an angry foundation of roots last night and he had a hell of a crick in his back. He had thought about asking Carrow to do him up some sort of spell, but foolishly mentioned the idea to Arthur who had also been complaining of being sore. The prince was loathe to employ magic at any cost and he was still twitchy every time Carrow did the simplest of spells.

He had resigned himself to simply wait until Arthur was out of earshot to ask her. He supposed he could do it himself, but to be honest self healing spells didn't work quite right. Which was half the reason Carrow hadn't already put her arm to rights. Merlin wasn't exactly sure why this was, but he had a feeling it was because it was so self involved. Magic worked best if it wasn't for oneself. At least magic of the Old Religion did.

"You said the stone was close?" Arthur said. Carrow wasn't paying attention as her eye had been caught by a vendor selling an assortment of beautiful linens.

"We seem to have arrived on market day," Gwaine said, his own eye caught by a lovely young blond woman. Merlin elbowed him curtly, shaking his head. Now wasn't the time for their attentions to be divided. Merlin noticed that the woman had also gathered the attention of Bryant. She had a basket full of flowers and a beautiful smile on her face and now Merlin was staring as well.

"Close your mouth, Merlin," Arthur said briskly before going to collect Carrow. Merlin grinned sheepishly at the prince.

"Carrow, the stone? Focus," Arthur said, grabbing the witch around the arm. She had been fingering a soft red shawl longingly. Merlin doubted she could afford such a thing. He supposed he and Arthur got most of what she owned destroyed and suddenly he felt guilty for it once again.

"It should be here," she said, shrugging and letting the shawl go. "Oh look at this, isn't it lovely? I think it would look grand on you, Merlin." She picked up a brilliant blue scarf and held it up to Merlin's neck, the vendor's eyes brightened as he agreed with Carrow. Anything, Merlin supposed, for a sale. "Much better than that ratty thing you always wear. Besides, it brings out your eyes."

"We don't have time to window shop," Arthur said. He hastily apologized to the vendor (who looked a bit terse after loosing the sale) and pulling Carrow away from the cart.

"What do you mean it should be here? Where is it?" Arthur asked.

"I mean what I said, your _highness_," she said sharply. "The lines gather right here and then spiderweb out. It must be underneath us. Perhaps your wonderful father had it destroyed!" Merlin twitched as she said that, he knew Arthur didn't take kindly to impetuous comments concerning his father.

"My father was doing what he thought was best," Arthur hissed. "If men like Keldor can draw power from those bloody stones then it certainly was."

"Yes, and if your father could legitimately destroy a stone of power I would agree with his intentions. He can get rid of a rock, but these ley lines are deep underground, the power comes from within the Earth," Carrow said. Merlin saw what she was getting at, and he realized that it would have been impossible for a human to simply get rid of these magical hot spots through mortal means.

"So the power center is still there," Merlin said, "There's just no stone to mark it. They just built the town over it."

"There still may be a druid here, or perhaps someone that knows someone. I'd say it was time to do a little networking," said Gwaine, eyes still following the girl who was selling flowers.

"Sire, we might consider finding the village elder..."

"_Emrys_." Merlin winced as the voice echoed in his head. It was unfamiliar. The sounds of Arthur and Leon discussing their next move sounded far away and unimportant. He tried to focus on the voice. "_By the vegetable stand, Emrys."_ the voice said. Merlins' eyes searched the stands for the owner of the voice.

A tall, thin man with dark greying hair was staring at him intently and making no secret about it. He motioned for Merlin to follow. Merlin glanced at his companions whose discussion seemed to be in full sway. They wouldn't notice if he were to sneak away for a few minutes. He had found their druid much quicker than anticipated. Merlin thought that if he wanted to ask for the druid's help, he would have to do it covertly as he didn't want to spook the man. They were in Uther's territory, after all, and magic was still forbidden. He doubted the druid wanted to advertise his presence to the rest of Merlin's party.

Besides, Merlin could take care of himself.

He slipped away from Arthur and the others quietly, them being far too engrossed in argument to notice where the servant had gone.

"You're a druid," Merlin said as he came up to the man.

"You can get a little more volume if you speak from the diaphragm," the man growled, then looked a bit appalled with himself. "I'm sorry. I overheard you and your… friends, discussing the need to find a druid."

"Yes, we really wanted to ask you about - "

"You can ask me all you want, Emrys, but I need something from you, first," the man said. "Would you please follow me?"

"Are you sure you want to leave your cart unattended?" Merlin asked as he thought the cart might be his. There was no one else tending to it.

"What? Oh, no, my brother's just there, flirting with that damned flower girl again," the man said. "He'll watch the cart, it is too important that I speak with you to worry about that." He waved off his cart and then motioned for Merlin to follow. Merlin's eyes wandered back to where Arthur and the others were talking. Carrow had finally glanced his way, a puzzled look on her face. Merlin signaled to her that he would be back in a moment. He hoped she understood. She looked confused for a moment, but then nodded at him.

"Who are you?" Merlin asked, following the man through the throng of villagers.

"My name is Ealden. Right through here, I need you to look in on my daughter," the man said gruffly. He didn't not seem very much like the calm and peaceful druids Merlin had grown accustomed to, he seemed like any normal farmer he knew from his own village.

"Your daughter?"

"Yes, she's very ill. When I saw you come into the village, I thought I must be dreaming," Ealden said. Merlin wasn't certain how to take that. He knew that he was known throughout druid society, but he didn't understand the hows or whys of it. He had too much else on his plate to bother with that now.

"How did you know who I was?" Merlin asked.

"I wasn't sure, but you wouldn't have responded to my message otherwise, would you?" he said, tone snappy again. Merlin frowned at him. Yes, Ealden was much more temperamental than any other druid he had met. "You don't remember me. My daughter and I were traveling for a time with Aglain before he passed, he spoke of you." Merlin remembered Aglain as the druid whom Morgana sought solace in ages ago. He felt a pang of guilt as he remembered the man's death - by Arthur's men. He wondered if Arthur was feeling guilty about carrying out his father's orders having to seek help from the people he helped to kill… Merlin hoped so, he hoped that Arthur was straying as far from his father's personality as he could.

Ealden led him into a small home on the far side of the village, the smell of stew drifted lazily out one of its windows and Merlin's stomach grumbled. Carrow's fish seemed ages away. They went inside and Ealden sat at the bedside of a young woman who was sputtering in her sleep.

"What's wrong with her?" Merlin asked.

"She… She touched something she shouldn't have. You and your friends already know that this is a place of power. There is an abandoned mine the children like to play in from time to time and Risa was going to collect them. They had found a box… this box," Ealden said, pulling a small and rusted iron box from under the woman's bed. "She was opening it for them and a purple sort of smoke burst from it's lock. She breathed it in and… I think she's dying." Ealden's voice cracked there.

Merlin looked at the young woman, biting the inside of his cheek. She was sweating profusely, her breathing strained. She was thin, far too thin. "How long has she been this way?"

"Two weeks. I've sent word to my people, but I fear they won't get back in time to help her. She didn't know the damn box was cursed," Ealden said.

"Cursed by who? What's in the box?" Merlin asked.

"By some selfish sorcerer who didn't want his grimoire found. I was able to decipher most of the writing on the outside, but Risa hasn't exactly inherited a gift for magic, she just thought it a silly box," Ealden said.

"And you thought I could break the curse? Why aren't you able to?"

"I've tried! Every spell I know, but nothing is powerful enough. It's only gotten worse. I fear she'll die if I don't find a cure soon. When I saw you walk into the village, I thought it must be fate. You _must _save her. She's all I have," Ealden pleaded.

"What about your brother?"

Ealden frowned as if that hadn't even occurred to him. "It's a shame he didn't open the bloody box." Merlin did his best not to laugh, considering the circumstances it would be most improper indeed. He examined the girl, holding his hands over her face as he searched his mind for some sort of cure. Merlin was not very good with healing magic, but if the girl was simply bound by a curse he should have more luck.

He whispered a few syllables. Risa's red hair swirled and she seemed to hover off of the bed for only a moment. Then she let out a banshee like wail, her eyes rolling back into her head. Merlin's heart leapt up into his throat as this happened and he stopped the spell abruptly, letting Risa fall back into bed.

"What the hell did you do?" Ealden said, leaning over his daughter and peering into her eyes which were open but showing only the whites of her eyes.

"I… I tried to break it, that shouldn't have happened!" Merlin swallowed, not quite knowing what to try next. His heart sunk at the failure. He must be able to do something for this poor girl. He grabbed the box from the floor, inspecting the writing for himself. It was of the Old Religion. Half of it seemed harmless, the other half was dark. It occurred to him that perhaps the sorcerer had had a good reason for not wanting his magic used. He turned the box over, eyes narrowing as a new spell engraved at the bottom caught his eye.

"Are you sure about what's in here? Because if you look here, this is saying something about a stone," Merlin said.

"A… stone? No, no that's wrong, it's a book. Why would there be all this fuss over a rock?" Ealden said. He wasn't paying attention to Merlin though, as Risa began mumbling. Ealden clutched her hand fearfully. "There's got to be something else you can try."

"I've only made it worse," Merlin said. "The woman that was with me, with the scarred face, could you… call her?" Merlin still hadn't been able to communicate telepathically with anyone who wasn't a druid. It hadn't occurred to him that it might be a good idea to practice that because up until recently there wouldn't have been anyone he could talk to in that way.

Ealden's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why? I know you have the Crown Prince with you, I don't want to draw his attention to us. That's the last thing I need, to be burned alive."

"I meant do it psychically. She's receptive to it, she's a witch," Merlin said, patience wearing thin.

"Fine. I'll be back in a moment," Ealden said, getting up and disappearing out of the home. Merlin didn't know if Carrow would be able to do anything, but she was usually more creative when it came to this sort of thing. Perhaps she could think of something that hadn't occurred to Merlin. Risa began whimpering in her sleep and Merlin took her hand in his.

"It's alright, Risa," he whispered, "I'll figure something out." He whispered another spell under his breath, which he hoped would soothe her. Luckily that seemed to work and her breathing calmed slightly. Carrow and Ealden appeared back in the doorway five minutes later.

"Where's Arthur and the others?" Merlin asked.

"Consorting with the locals. Look what I've got for you!" Carrow said. She had swooped in with a great smile on her face, somehow disregarding Risa entirely. Before Merlin could see what she was doing, she had wrenched off his scarf and was tying the one she had been fawning over at the vendor's around his neck. It was indeed much softer than his old ratty one had been, which now lay forgotten on Ealden's floor.

"Did you bloody steal that?" Ealden asked. Merlin forgot that Ealden had been watching them.

"If I help Merly fix your daughter, do you care?" Carrow replied primly. The new scarf suddenly prickled around his neck. He would have to return it when she wasn't looking. He wasn't sure if Carrow's morals were quite as intact as he originally thought. "But before I do that, Ealden, what do you know of necromancy?"

"Necromancy? I… nothing," Ealden sputtered. Carrow's eyes narrowed and she shrugged.

"That's a shame, I have no idea what's wrong with your daughter, then," Carrow said, her voice colder than usual. Merlin's eyes narrowed at her, surprised at how indifferent she seemed to be. She edged toward the door.

Ealden looked from Merlin to Carrow. "Wait," he said. "I'll see what I can do for you… after you help Risa."

"I tried to break the curse, but it's not working, there's something off about it," Merlin said in order to get Carrow to focus. Merlin understood now that Carrow felt Ealden was being dishonest. The man had been nothing but prickly towards him ever since he arrived and Carrow, being an unsettling sort of perceptive, could tell he wasn't telling them something. But why would he hold back when his daughter's life seemed to be hanging in the balance?

"I don't know what you think I can do if _you_ can't break it, Merlin," she said haughtily.

"Carrow, please be serious. Look at her, there's got to be something I'm missing. She tried to open this box, a purple powder exploded from it and now she's like this," Merlin replied irritably, showing Carrow the box while Ealden paced behind them which was only unnerving Merlin.

Carrow lifted the box, tracing her fingers along the incantations in the side. "My, that's spooky. You're both druids, what are you doing with this sort of thing?"

"Kids found it in a mine just west of here," Ealden grunted. "She didn't know what it was."

"She's only half druid then?"

"How can you tell?" Ealden asked.

"Otherwise she would have known. You people usually have a sense of these things," Carrow said.

"She's maybe a fourth druid as I'm only half," Ealden said. Carrow scowled, most likely thinking that this made it less likely that Ealden would really be able to help them with their problem. Merlin looked at the box again. He shook it. It felt empty to him. "Can you help Risa or not, witch?"

"I don't even think she's sick, really. There's no fever, she doesn't seem to be congested…" Carrow said, feeling the girl's neck. "Her heart's racing. What if… What if she's simply stuck in a nightmare?"

"But she's been coughing like mad," Ealden argued.

"Shortness of breath and intense running can cause that, which may be very well what she's doing in her dream," Merlin replied.

"But I've tried getting into her head, she won't respond. It's like there's a wall," Ealden said.

"Well you're not Merlin, are you? See if you can simply guide her out, Merlin," Carrow said, moving over so that Merlin could get closer to Risa. He put his hands on either side of her face, peering into her eyes, which were still rolling around aimlessly in her head. The effect was quite horrifying. Merlin swallowed, trying to concentrate.

His mind pushed into Risa's, but there was indeed a wall where Ealden said. But Merlin was much stronger than Ealden. One well placed blow and it fell. Ealden and Carrow were very far away now, almost as if they had drifted to the back of his mind. He was in a castle now, what looked like a dungeon. He thought this must be Risa's dream. He called out for the girl.

Suddenly he heard crashing coming from the corridor to his right. The young druid was bounding towards him, closely followed by what looked like some sort of bull. Merlin's heart raced and he got out of the way, heading into one of the cells. Just as the girl was about to pass him, he yanked her into the cell with him and the bull continued to hurtle down the corridor as if it hadn't noticed them at all. As it past, Merlin saw that it wasn't a bull, but half man as well.

"Let me go! No! Just let me go, please!" the girl shrieked, slapping at Merlin.

"Risa, Risa! I'm here to help you! Calm down, your father sent me," Merlin said.

"My… my father's dead! That thing killed him! Please, just let me go," she said, in tears now as she sunk to her knees. She didn't know she was dreaming, he realized. To her all of this was real. Perhaps if he convinced her otherwise she would be able to wake up.

"No! You're dreaming, this is just a nightmare. The last thing that happened to you, don't you remember? The children had found a box and you opened it and…"

"That was ages ago! I gave the damn rock to my Uncle Haden. But he's dead now, too, don't you see?" Merlin was quite confused at this point, but he was fairly sure that he could get the girl out of here now.

"No, this is all a dream. I promise you. And how do you wake yourself from a dream?" Merlin said.

####

Merlin and Risa both awoke at the same time then, Risa breathing much harder than Merlin. She hadn't believed that it would work, but he had had enough nightmares to know that when you were truly in trouble you needed to die in order to wake up. Though he had felt a bit nervous when he'd thrown Risa to the bull.

Risa sat up, saw Merlin, and promptly slapped him.

"Oh, I like this one," Carrow was there to say. Merlin massaged his face and glared at her. "So you snapped her out of it pretty quickly, there."

"It wasn't a curse, and that was my trouble earlier. He lied. Getting through the wall was really the toughest bit," Merlin said. "It occurred to me that I didn't ask whether or not you had really _seen_ her try and open the box."

"I didn't try, you idiot, I _did,_" Risa said. She certainly reminded Merlin of her father. As soon as Risa saw her father, she tried to sit up and hug him, but her head didn't seem to allow it.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Ealden said, shoving Merlin out of the way in order to hug his daughter. Merlin smiled in spite of himself. He felt like he'd finally _won. _For the first time in weeks he'd actually accomplished something. Seeing Ealden and Risa embrace warmed his heart, though it also irritated him. Ealden had been lying this whole time, he just didn't know _why._

"Right then, Merlin, what did you say about something occurring to you?" Carrow said, wrinkling her nose at the pair.

Merlin shook his head as Carrow brought his attention back around. "She did open the box. She said she got some sort of stone out of it and gave it to her Uncle."

"Haden? Why, Risa?" Ealden said. "What did the stone do?" His act was becoming flimsy now.

"That silly box was covered in dark magic, you shouldn't have been able to open it," Carrow said. "We need to find your idiotic brother, Ealden. Merlin, let's go collect Arthur and his pointy sword."

Merlin did feel the need to be done with these two. He hadn't minded saving Risa, but being lied to like this was frustrating the hell out of him. He stood up, nodding at Carrow. "What does the stone _do_?"

"How should we know?" Ealden said, but Risa seemed to be uncomfortable with the lies all of a sudden. Perhaps her conscience was settling in.

"That stupid rock is the reason we came here. We were paid to collect it," Risa started.

"Don't, Risa. He'll put you back in that nightmare, if you do!" Risa swallowed at that.

"Who? Haden? We won't let that happen," Merlin said, putting a hand on Risa's shoulder. Carrow humphed, clearly no longer inclined to help either druid. Merlin elbowed her.

"We've got other things to worry about, Merlin. She's awake and - "

"And a powerful and mysterious stone is out there somewhere about to cause who knows what kinds of trouble," Merlin argued.

"One thing at a bloody time, Merlin! Wait - no! Hold on!" Carrow said, she paused, as if something occurred to her. Pulling out a dagger from somewhere on her person (probably also stolen as Merlin didn't recall Carrow carrying a dagger earlier), Carrow shoved Ealden up against the side of the home, pressing the dagger into his neck. "What does this rock do? And if you tell me something I don't want to hear, I'll start cutting, you foolish little imp!"

Ealden gulped, his breathing intensified. Carrow may have been petite and even one armed at the moment, but she never failed to look absolutely terrifying when she wanted to. Those scars of hers really seemed to work to her advantage in these sorts of scenarios. Although Merlin liked to think it helped that he was standing right beside her, armed at the ready with quite a lot of firepower of his own. He thought Arthur would be proud of how violent this had gotten so quickly and he wondered where the hell the prince had wandered off to.

"It's - It's a stone. An - an amulet, supposed to make the wearer immortal. We were supposed to be collecting it for a sorceress, but I think Haden took it for himself," Ealden said. Carrow's lips curled into a smile.

##

_Okay I know this seems like I've gone off on some sort of subplot tangent, but I assure you there is a point for Carrow to think an alchemist's stone is worthwhile. Remember, everything's connected! Somehow! At least I hope so… Anywho, thanks for reading, and drop me a review if that tickles your fancy! I know it tickles mine!_


	10. Chapter 10: Drinking Game

Chapter 10: _Drinking Game_

##

"And no one noticed when Merlin decided to slink off on his own?" Leon and Bryant shook their heads a bit sheepishly, meanwhile Gwaine shrugged as if it was something of a non issue. It was very well an issue. Something always seemed to happen when Merlin disappeared, it didn't make it much better that Carrow had disappeared with him. Though her exit had been a bit more advertised what with the linen vendor chasing after her for stealing one of his scarves.

It had been the very same one she had wanted to get for Merlin, so Arthur took that to mean she was running off to find Merlin but didn't want him to follow. He hated that he was beginning to understand the way her mind worked, he found it unnerving. Before she left, she had told them to have a drink at the tavern. He imagined that was where they would reconvene, but he didn't like the idea of simply letting her do whatever idiotic thing tickled her disturbed little mind. Her antics were going to catch up with them before long, he could feel it.

As he thought this, of course, the vendor - winded - came towards Arthur with anger in his eyes. Arthur clenched his jaw, realizing he'd have to clean up this bloody mess. He apologized and paid for the scarf, knowing that it would probably find its way around Merlin's neck.

"Well, the lady said to meet her at the tavern, I think that's probably where we should go," Gwaine said, always happy to have a pint or five. While Arthur was no huge drinker, his head had begun to throb from frustration and a drink may do him well. But he didn't like the idea of sitting on his arse while Merlin and Carrow got into trouble.

"Bryant, Gwaine, you go to the tavern. Ask around about druids but be _tactful_ about it. We're not here as knights of Camelot, remember. We're just looking for information. Leon, you're with me," Arthur said. Bryant and Gwaine nodded heading in the direction of the tavern, a larger place with a thatched roof and a sign that read "Pig & Whistle." Arthur realized it may have been a bit stupid to send Gwaine with Bryant rather than Leon, but Arthur didn't see his headache improving with the younger knight by his side. Leon's habitually taciturn nature made him more ideal for this particular venture.

"Where are we headed, sire?" Leon asked. Bless his obedience. Arthur didn't like to play favorites, but very often he regarded Leon as his choice knight.

"I was going to start with a few of the vendors. It's market day, they get all sorts. At least that's what I'm hoping," Arthur replied. Leon nodded and then strayed toward a questionable looking caravan that seemed to be selling jewelry.

Arthur chose a farmer, working at a vegetable cart. A squat woman with a ruddy complexion, she looked positively exhausted and Arthur thought he ought to tread lightly. "Hello, I was -"

"Potatoes are only a crown per stone, sir. Oh and these tomatoes are wonderful," she started, wiping the sweat from her forehead and offering him a smile.

"No, I'm sorry ma'am, I was wondering if perhaps you knew anything about druids, if any lived around here?" Arthur said. The woman's smile was replaced with a distasteful frown.

"What would I have to do with people like that! If I were you, I'd reconsider whatever it is you're doin'," she replied, whirling around to straighten her wares. Arthur took that to mean the conversation was over.

After talking to four other people with variations of the same opinion on the matter, he found someone who was more willing to speak. A little girl, not thirteen years old with a mane of frizzy brown locks and a wide gap in the front of her broad smile. She motioned to him shyly.

"You been askin' about the druids?" she said. She had been helping her mother hang laundry up on a line and Arthur hadn't noticed her watching him. He tried to smile at her, but it didn't feel particularly sincere. She, however, was fooled, and came up to him.

"There en't any _real_ ones 'round here, you know," she said.

"What do you mean by that?" Arthur asked.

"There's just that funny man what came here a couple weeks ago with his fire haired daughter," she replied. "Mummy says that they're a funny sort and I shouldn't consort with 'em. But Risa's nice, she let me help her make muffins. They've got all sorts of funny little doodads, too."

Arthur bent down to her level, his smile softening. "What sort of doodads?"

"Pretty things. Boxes and shiny pendants. She tried to hide it before I could see, but there was this one necklace that glowed!" the girl said.

"Glowed like magic?" The girl looked away sheepishly then, realizing she probably shouldn't have said that.

"Isabel! What are you doing? What have I told you about talking to strangers! I'm so sorry, sir, she doesn't know what she's saying," the girl's mother said, having noticed her daughter talking to Arthur. She shooed the girl into the house. The woman was older, but had a warm heart shaped face which was probably beautiful when she was younger. She blew a bit of hair out of her face, eyes narrowing as she saw Arthur.

"But you're - you're the bloody Prince of Camelot!" she said loudly. Arthur's eyes widened. He hadn't realized he might be recognized this far from Camelot. The woman must have been there at some point.

"Please, ma'am, keep your voice down," Arthur said glancing around to see if she'd afforded him unwanted attention.

She covered her mouth, "I'm so sorry, your highness. And please disregard anything my daughter said, Risa and her father are pleasant enough people, I swear."

"I mean them no harm, ma'am. I simply need to speak to the druids on an unrelated matter," he said, trying his best to reassure her. He wondered if she were more frightened of them than him. Perhaps she thought they may curse her if something happened because she told him something. She bit her lip. "Nothing will happen to you either, I swear it."

She didn't look completely satisfied by that as she nervously wrung her hands on her apron. "I really don't think Risa and her father mean anyone any harm, but… but Ealden's brother, if he _is_ his brother, is a frightening man. Violent and angry. Caused quite a stir when they first arrived. He… became attached to one of the women, hurt her something awful. We tried to arrest him, but he got free and disappeared. I'm fairly certain he had… magic," her voice lowered as if it were a sin to even say the word. Arthur clenched his jaw at the tale. It was no wonder people were afraid to speak of it. The village didn't want to incur a witch hunt. It would cause hysteria which always had the potential to tear the village inside out.

"What was his name?" Arthur asked, trying to remain calm.

"Gerrard, I believe. Are you going to try and find him?" she asked hopefully.

"Well we can't let men like that wander freely, can we?" Arthur said, trying to provide her some comfort. After all, she really only wanted to protect her daughter. The woman brightened.

"I've been so impolite! Can I please get you some tea, your highness?"

"No, thank you, but could you direct me to where this Risa and Ealden live?"

The woman did so gratefully. She may have offered Arthur tea, but that didn't mean she really wanted to invite him into her home. She neglected even to offer her name. Arthur rarely realized how uncomfortable royalty could make peasants and he never apologized for it. He was the sort that felt people ought to adapt to him, not the other way around. Though recently he'd been getting a lesson on that.

He was, of course, surprised to hear of a druid that was _violent_. Perhaps his father had been right? Or was this an isolated case? Or was he a druid at all? His head buzzed with questions which he hoped that this Ealden might be able to answer. As he arrived at the man's door, it opened abruptly, swinging outward and nearly smacking him in the face. He jumped out of the way just in time. Carrow and Merlin stepped out, Merlin with a lovely new scarf around his neck.

"I ought to be more surprised by this, I know," Arthur grumbled, allowing the two outside and glancing in to see a smug looking red head closing the door.

"We were just - we… well," Merlin stammered, clearly unsure where to begin. The man's ears turned a slight shade of pink as if he'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Arthur had no idea what _that_ was about, but he was hoping someone would be of the mind to fill him in on what the two had been doing so covertly for the past hour and a half.

"Druids, sweet prince. Sorry you were not invited, we didn't want to spook them with that queer look you get around magic folk," Carrow offered. She had that far off look about her, as though she were planning something. He looked at the home again, instinct to arrest its inhabitants. He saw her point.

"But how did you even _know_, we hadn't been here thirty minutes and the both of you ran off," Arthur said. "You could have said!"

"They came to us," Merlin said. "Ealden heard us asking, thought I looked the least… horrifying, motioned for me to follow. Carrow's right, we just didn't want to frighten them off." Arthur wasn't quite pacified, but he realized this probably wasn't the issue right now and waved off the explanation.

"Well? Did you ask them about necromancy? How we can defeat Keldor?" Arthur said, putting a hand on his hip.

"Um," Merlin looked at Carrow as if she might have something to add, but she wasn't even looking at them. She was muttering to herself.

"_Mer_lin," Arthur pressed.

"Right well, they didn't seem to know much about necromancy. They're only half druids or… something diluted to that effect. Ealden and his daughter, Risa, live more like nomads, but they came here looking for some sort of stone - which they found, but Ealden's -"

"Bastard brother, Gerrard, took it and vanished?" Arthur finished.

"…Yes. How did you know?" Merlin asked.

"Because our dearest prince has been using that funny little brain of his!" Carrow said, ruffling Arthur's hair and then flouncing away in the opposite direction. Arthur took a deep breath before following, trying very hard not scream in frustration.

"I do believe the cogs in _her _funny little brain have short circuited," Merlin said, starting to follow after Carrow. Arthur grabbed Merlin's arm.

"Hold on, what does the stone even do?" Arthur said, praying that it was some sort of elegant paper weight coveted by art collectors.

"Grants immortal life," Merlin said hesitantly.

"Fantastic," Arthur muttered, he looked at Merlin's scarf. "And you're welcome for that."

Merlin fingered the scarf with a self satisfied grin on his face before following Carrow, who clearly had an idea about the stone. Of course she had said that Keldor had something of a hankering for immortality, but he was dead. It was a bit late for that. And even if it wasn't, what did she plan on doing with it? Offering it up as some sort of leverage for the other ghosts? But of course the woman knew something that they didn't. He supposed if he had some knowledge of magic, he might be able to think more outside the box, but as it were all of this was making Arthur's head spin.

"She hasn't told me why it's made her happy, of course," Merlin said.

"No, but then she wouldn't, would she? That would be too easy. Communication, pfft! Who needs it!" Arthur said, now a bit irate. He saw now that she was heading to the tavern, and it occurred to him he had to find Leon. He thought about forcing Merlin to do it, but then… Merlin probably needed to be part of whatever conversation they were about to have, didn't he? He decided he would send Bryant.

Of course, as it turned out, Leon was already at the bar where Carrow was ordering herself a very large jug of mead.

"I'll need you pay for this, by the way," Carrow said to Arthur as she took a seat beside Gwaine. She began drinking and Gwaine watched her with what looked like awe. Arthur grimaced at the sight, and put several coins up on the counter.

The barkeep jerked his finger at Gwaine, "Him, too," he barked. Arthur rolled his eyes, trying to remind himself that these people had saved his life, he owed them a drink. It did nothing to remedy his irritation, however.

"Here, have it all," Arthur said apathetically, putting a few more coins on the counter, which the barkeep quickly swept away.

Leon, shook his head with a smile as Carrow finished off her drink, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. It occurred to Arthur that in spite of her unconventional personality, this was the first thing she had ever done that struck him as unladylike. At least for her.

Merlin tried to fill Leon, Bryant, and Gwaine in on what he had just told Arthur, who wasn't sure he'd even gotten everything. They'd been gone over an hour, but what they'd said would have filled the space of fifteen minutes, tops.

"Would you like a refill on that, sweetheart?" Gwaine said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at her.

Ignoring the comment, Leon said, "Gerrard, yes one of the farmers I spoke to told me of the trouble he'd caused. Said he'd managed to avoid the gallows somehow, he'd been roundabout with the rest though. Are we certain this Ealden is trustworthy? I think we ought to round him and his daughter up to interrogate further."

"No, but we don't have time to deal with him at the moment if we hope to find his brother," Merlin said. Arthur was of the opinion they ought to arrest both druids as they sounded like liars and thieves to him. Working for some sorceress to find a stone which could make the wearer immortal? Treason if he'd ever heard it. His fist clenched at the idea.

Carrow put a hand on his arm, her eyes imploring him to calm down. Arthur took another breath, surprised that this simple motion did seem to ease his anger. It disturbed him that one moment he could be so deeply frustrated by her, the next she could somehow soothe him.

He took his arm off the counter.

"What use is this stone, then? Are you planning to bring the bastard back to life?" Arthur asked.

"Precisely!" Carrow said.

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard," Gwaine said. "How could that possibly help?"

"No, listen. The problem with necromancy seems to be well, we don't know anything about it. And even if we did, it's difficult to do anything, because whatever we know - Keldor will know ten times more, he can combat it. But he's stuck on the spectral plane and can't affect much in the physical realm. He wants to come back through, yes?"

"Yes, and even then he'll still have control over the spirits," Merlin said.

"Which means we need to find a way to completely incapacitate him," Carrow said, nodding.

"And allowing him back into the physical realm and giving him a magic stone will do that?" Arthur asked.

"That's only the first half of the plan!" Carrow said.

"Once he's back in the physical realm, what are we supposed to do?" Bryant asked.

"We trap him. We can't let him die, he'll just do all this over again. We have to keep him alive. But we have to keep him alive forever, incapacitated forever - that's where the stone comes in," Merlin said, eyes widening as he seemed to be catching up to Carrow.

Arthur's headache was back.

"Hold on, I haven't even caught how we're supposed to bring him back to this so called 'physical realm,'" Gwaine said.

"I'm still working on that," she said after a moment. Arthur could tell she was lying, her voice sounded detached and she wasn't meeting their eyes. He had a sinking feeling she had indeed, already worked that bit out.

"Yeah, you haven't worked that or how we're going to trap some powerful bloody necromancer or how we're going to get this stupid stone from another supposed sorcerer," Bryant said, breaking his usual glowering silence.

"So it's not a plan. More of a half baked scheme," Carrow said, shrugging. "I think we should stay the night here, though and head out in the morning. I'll figure a way we can track him." She gave Merlin a look, which irritated Arthur. Whatever the two had done, they still needed to talk about it and they were being secretive. Why? What could they possibly have secrets about? He resolved to corner Merlin, inarguably the weaker minded of the two, and get him to tell him what that was all about.

"I'm guessing that means more magic," Leon asked wearily, lowering his voice. Arthur sympathized with the knight.

"Unless you know something I don't, good sir," Carrow said, smiling at him.

"Fine, I'll get us a couple rooms," Arthur said. Carrow nodded and Gwaine ordered another round of drinks, which Arthur rolled his eyes at. Regardless, he took one of the tankards and downed it, hoping it might settle his head.

####

They'd spent the next couple hours drinking and leaving their impending journey to the wayside. They needed to recuperate, have a decent meal, let the ale warm their bellies. Gwaine had dragged them over to another table after one of the locals challenged him to an arm wrestle, which Arthur had warned him against. Until, of course, Gwaine lost (due mostly to being inebriated) and Arthur felt the need to win back his own money.

"Pretty boy thinks he can best Fergus, eh?" said Fergus's bucktoothed friend, a farmer that smelled of sweat and piss, much like the rest of the tavern. Fergus himself only seemed to communicate in a series of grunts.

Arthur put his arm up on the table, Fergus met him.

"Right then, mates. Ready? Go!" Arthur pushed against the other man. It was a fair match, as Fergus was only slightly larger than Arthur. Colwyn did not boast many thugs compared to other places Arthur had visited. Even Fergus seemed to be an even tempered man all things considered. Overall the tavern was very good spirited.

Through the corner of his eye, Arthur noticed Carrow get up to leave. That momentary distraction cost him the match. Fergus slammed Arthur's arm down. Arthur swore under his breath.

"Aw, poor kid. Better luck next time, mate!" Arthur thought of asking for a rematch, but then thought better of it. He had to talk to Carrow alone, and this would probably be his best chance.

"Merlin, give it a go," Arthur said, clapping the always malnourished servant on the back affectionately. Merlin glared at Arthur.

"Where are you going?" Merlin asked.

"I need to ask Carrow something," Arthur said. Merlin raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't question any further.

He followed after Carrow, who was heading up the stairs towards the inn portion of the tavern. Arthur had booked them two rooms. He, Merlin, and Carrow in one, Gwaine, Leon, and Bryant in the other. He had wanted one more, but the tavern was booked. Gwaine argued it ought to be he and Carrow in one, the rest in the other but one glare from Arthur stopped that argument.

"Getting an early night?" he asked coming up behind her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No, I was actually going out back to dance naked in the moonlight. You know what a full moon means to us witches - I thought it'd help track Gerrard," she said. "You're welcome to watch - or better yet, join in." Her eyes twinkled mercilessly in the darkened corridor, candle light dancing across her face. Arthur took this to mean that she was joking.

"I know what you're thinking," Arthur said, tone serious.

"Do you now?" Carrow said, staring intensely into his eyes. "What am I thinking, sweet prince?"

"You're going to let Keldor use you to cross into this realm," Arthur said, crossing his arms.

"Wrong! I was wondering how you'd look dancing naked in the moonlight, but thanks for trying," Carrow replied, turning around and walking into their room. "You and Merlin can share that one." She pointed at the bed on the right, taking a seat on the one nearest the door. She started yanking off her boots. Merlin would definitely end up on the floor.

"Car_row_."

"Oh we're doing that again? Very well: Ar_thur_."

She dropped her shoes neatly on the floor in front of the bed and then went over to the basin set up in the corner and began to wash her hands. He knew she would make this difficult, but there was no way in hell that he was going to let her think that she would get to fulfill the martyr role in this story, something she kept trying to force her way into. It just wasn't going to happen. He didn't care that she blamed herself for what happened to Thomas.

"I'll figure something else out," Arthur said.

"You will, will you?" Carrow said, cocking her head to the side as she flung her hands out in the basin to dry. "While you work on that, I'll work on figuring out how we'll trap him, deal?"

Arthur pursed his lips at her.

"Gwaine's not going to be thrilled you left early. I think he was going to challenge you to another drinking competition," Arthur said. "Shall I tell him you were cheating?" After that first one she'd had, which no doubt she'd had after she realized the only way she'd get Keldor back from the dead would be to give up herself, she'd made the ale disappear magically. Gwaine had been too busy getting pissed to notice her doing it.

"You saw that?" she said, smiling at him.

"Yes," he said, turning to leave. "Remind me to arrest you after we're done saving the world."

####

Merlin had been listening in on Arthur and Carrow's conversation, his heart sinking all the while. After Arthur went back downstairs, he slinked into the room, walking in on Carrow trying to change her shirt.

"Oh sorry!" Merlin said, averting his eyes and backing out of the door.

"All done, Merlin," Carrow replied calmly. Merlin turned his head slightly, peeking at her through the corner of his eye. She was now dressed in a freshly laundered muslin shirt and pants. "I stole a few things from Risa." Merlin raised an eyebrow. Apparently theft was a thing for her.

"Oh don't look at me like that. She won't miss them," Carrow said, waving him off.

"How did you even manage that?"

"Have you got any ideas as to how we might trap Keldor?" she said, ignoring his question. He wondered if she had used magic. But he would have sensed that. He looked outside the bedroom door to check if Arthur happened to be lingering. He supposed the prince hadn't quite finished drinking his frustration away. Merlin hadn't quite drank his fill either, but he didn't fancy the idea of being impaired at the moment nor did he fancy a hangover the following morning. None of the other men seemed to care. But then Gwaine must be used to it.

"What? Are you being serious now?" Merlin said.

"Unfortunately." She sighed, crossing her harms and sitting on the bed.

"You can't give yourself to Keldor, I think I could probably get him through," Merlin said.

"We're not talking about that. You've got to keep him busy once he's, well, alive again. Get that amulet around his neck. I was thinking maybe we'd put him in a box," Carrow said. Merlin shook his head. He thought perhaps Carrow was underestimating his power. He wasn't sure how he would get bring Keldor back yet, but he knew he could figure it out. He wished there was some way he could contact Giaus and ask for advice. "Maybe that box that the amulet had been kept in, though you'd have to strengthen the spells. Evidently they weren't that powerful if Gerrard could get in."

Merlin frowned at her. "We still have to find him, you know."

"Which should be easy enough with you leading the way. You've still got that ring of his Ealden gave you before we left?" Carrow said. Merlin nodded, patting his jacket pocket. "You'll have to make a show of it for Arthur's sake." Carrow grimaced.

"You'll have to tell him before this is over, the longer you wait the more incensed he'll be about the whole thing," Carrow said. Merlin sighed. He knew she was right, but the idea of telling Arthur made his stomach churn. If he wasn't so distracted, Merlin knew that Arthur would be arresting Risa and Ealden. In fact, the prince might be planning to send guards back first moment he got. For all he knew, he'd have Carrow arrested.

He knew that wasn't fair. Arthur had been… well, he'd certainly been able to take it all in stride. But all the same, Merlin had had nightmares where Arthur found out. It hadn't gone well. Most of those nightmares ended with Arthur looking at him as though he were a complete stranger, disgusted and mortified. Then Uther had shouted "Sorcery!" and Merlin would wake up just as he was being carted off to his doom.

"You don't give him enough credit, my dear," Carrow said. "When we first met I asked Arthur how far he'd go to save you. He'd give his life. For you, a simple servant. I remember thinking him a such a lying fool. But you're his best friend."

"That's what makes it worse though," Merlin said.

"Oh poppycock! It's like pulling a knife out of his back! Get it over with already," Carrow said, slapping him upside his head. "Stop all this silly angst! You're grown men for godsake!" Merlin rubbed the back of his head, suddenly grinning at her.

"We'll figure it out, one step at a time, Carrow," Merlin said.

####

"So how does this work?" Gwaine asked Carrow as he offered her a hand up on their horse. Arthur had been able to acquire them several horses, but Carrow was forced to share with Gwaine, meanwhile Merlin was riding with Bryant and neither were looking thrilled about it.

"Locator spell. The ring will act as a sort of compass for us. It's more complicated than that, but we'll get there," Carrow said. Arthur rolled his eyes, wishing one of the locals might have just been able to tell them where he went. He was already worried that this Ealden might have somehow warned Gerrard that he was being chased. Besides that he didn't trust that this ring even belonged to the man. What reason did the druid have for speaking the truth?

"Stop it, Arthur," Carrow said.

"Stop what?" Arthur said.

"Bristling. Thinking those dark, cynical thoughts that will stir you into some foul and irritating mood," she said. Gwaine chuckled.

"She's right though, you were definitely bristling," Merlin said.

"Bryant, have Merlin walk," Arthur said. The knights laughed.

"Which way then, Carrow?" Gwaine said.

"West," came the reply.

##

_I personally hated the last chapter, especially after I read it again. I thought of redoing it, but I felt it might be too late for that, unfortunately. I do hope you'll forgive me for it! _

_But yes, this was kind of a segue chapter. But we needed a nice slow one to put everything into place and bring everyone up to speed, didn't we? Thank you for all your kind reviews and keeping up with me! And special thanks to Chavva for warning me to pace myself!_


	11. Chapter 11: Easier to Lie

Chapter 11: _Easier to Lie_

##

Merlin grimaced as Bryant readjusted himself once again on the horse. The two had been trying very hard to touch each other as little as possible and Merlin's backside was incredibly sore from the effort. It didn't help that the young knight was absolutely rank, though he supposed he wasn't much better. Regardless, Merlin would have rather been riding with Leon or Arthur.

He shuffled Gerrard's thick golden band in his hand, trying to be discreet about what he was doing. Because Leon and Arthur were more or less leading the way, it was easy to keep them from spotting Merlin's eyes glow. Bryant was taking such pains to _ignore_ his unwelcome passenger that Merlin barely worried about the man seeing anything. Of course Gwaine and Carrow were already well aware of what was going on.

"Sire, do you hear that?" Leon said, trotting towards Arthur slowly. Merlin hadn't noticed the slight crunching of leaves. They had been traveling along the outer banks of a forest, and Merlin's ears were now tingling at the sounds coming from the trees.

An arrow whizzed past Merlin and straight into Gwaine's shoulder. Bryant lost control of their horse then, and it reared up knocking both to the ground. Merlin's heart began to race, adrenaline pouring into his veins. He struggled to his feet, hearing Arthur roar something about taking cover.

Merlin searched for Gwaine, seeing that Carrow had gotten down from their horse and was dragging Gwaine into the forest.

Arthur was in front of him then, shoving him to the side and into the forest. "Merlin, watch yourself!" Several more arrows flew into their company.

One of their assailants was perched straight above them in the branches. Merlin's eyes flashed gold and the branch broke. The man fell from the tree and Arthur stabbed him in the gut. Several more men sprung from their hiding places to attack. Merlin made the fallen branch launch forward into three other would be attackers.

"What the hell was that?" Arthur said, sword held at the read.

Merlin shrugged, "Carrow must be around here somewhere." Arthur frowned at Merlin for a second, but he wasn't given much time as another bandit ambushed them from behind. Bryant and Leon were dealing with a group of men about half a dozen yards away and Merlin saw that they were grossly outnumbered. He would have to do something drastic, he just couldn't think _what_. It occurred to him that a fire might do the trick, but then they might get caught in it as well.

It didn't help that some bastard was trying to slice his head off, cutting off Merlin's ability to thinks straight. Merlin whipped out the shoddy iron sword that he was still carrying for Carrow. He gave it a sour look as he parried blow after blow from his attacker, never quite able to land his own. His sword glanced off the bandit's side, but the man still fell forward clutching it in pain. Merlin used the hilt of the blade to knock him out.

"Stop!" came a familiar booming voice from behind them. The bandits all held their blades, eyes finding their leader from atop some rocks.

"Your highness! So good to see you again!" the man said. It was the same thug who had attacked them all those weeks ago and given the order to burn down Carrow's home. Arthur let his blade slip further into his opponent before yanking it out and taking a step towards the oaf. Merlin had his eyes on Arthur, whose expression had quickly turned dark.

"Let her go, you bastard!" Arthur yelled. Merlin hadn't noticed that Carrow was slung over the man's back like a ragdoll.

"I don't think I introduced myself last time we met, I'm Oleg and I'll be your kidnapper for this evening. Now, Prince, as you can see, you are clearly outnumbered. I've already killed one of your men, I've got your witch in custody - you really ought to surrender," the man said. He was really quite eloquent for such a brute. Merlin clenched his hands into fists, wondering if he were to kill Oleg how his minions might react. Violently, he thought. His mind raced for a better solution.

"Get a few more men and then I will," Arthur snarled, tightening his grip on his sword.

"Cocky little bastard, aren't -" Oleg paused for a moment and then blood dripped down his neck. The point of what looked like an arrow glinted through his throat and Merlin realized that Carrow must not be as unconscious as Oleg had thought. She must have yanked out the arrow from Gwaine's shoulder and hung on to it. Both of them crumpled to the ground, Merlin could hear Oleg gurgling in agony, not quite as dead as he ought to be.

The rest of Oleg's minions screamed now, and continued on their onslaught. Merlin thought there were upwards of ten men and they were much better armed. Merlin's eyes were caught by Carrow, covered in blood and fighting off Oleg all on her own. Everywhere he looked, the fight looked hopeless. Leon was fighting off two, Arthur holding off three. He didn't see Bryant or Gwaine, but he hoped that just meant they were out of view.

"Merlin, watch out!" Arthur shouted. He heard it before he saw it, another arrow coming straight for him. His eyes went gold and he stopped it in midair, hurling the arrow back to its sender. Arthur saw that, Merlin realized. There would be no way he hadn't - the prince was looking right at him.

And at that moment he realized he didn't care. He wasn't going to lose any more friends because he was afraid of what Arthur might think, how the prince knowing might hurt his stupid, silly, useless _destiny._ It was his choice. And he wanted to save his friends.

"Sábháil iadsan ruaig droch-chrof a bheith agate de dhuine," Merlin shouted. A powerful wind swept through the forest, forcing Oleg's men to the ground. Holding his hand out, Merlin said "Ceangail." Roots sprang from the ground, binding each of the men where they stood.

A silence rang through the forest then, as all eyes seemed to be on Merlin, who dropped his sword. He couldn't bring himself to meet Arthur's gaze and instead went up the hill to where Carrow was struggling to her feet. He helped her up, but she shrugged him off, running around the next tree to find where she had left Gwaine. Merlin looked down at what was left of Oleg who probably could not be any more dead if she'd ripped off his head.

Arthur came up behind him, eyes filled with anger as he shoved Merlin out of the way and went to find Gwaine and Carrow. Merlin knew this wasn't going to end well, Arthur's face spoke volumes. But at least the Prince was focused enough to know that wasn't important at the moment.

"He's bleedin' out," Carrow said, hastily wiping tears from her eyes and looking up at Arthur. "I had removed the arrow gently as I could earlier with magic, but…" She put pressure to Gwaine's wound, which looked to be right above his heart.

"Most o' that's probably… probably mead," Gwaine struggled, forcing a laugh.

"You - You saved _him_ from worse," Arthur said through gritted teeth, motioning to Merlin.

"I don't think I did, though. My magic's not strong enough - Merlin must of helped himself along," Carrow said.

"I'm f-fine, stop makin' - makin' such a fuss," Gwaine said. He coughed and blood began to filter up into his mouth. Merlin knew the blood had already begun to seep in his lungs and that soon he would probably drown. Arthur got back to his feet and looked at Merlin.

"You can fix him?" he asked, finally meeting Merlin's eyes. Merlin honestly didn't know. Yes, his magic was strong enough, but he was still awful at the art of healing.

"With Carrow's help, I think," Merlin said.

"Do it. Leon, where's Bryant?" Arthur said, backing away from Gwaine. Merlin let Arthur and the other knights fall to the back of his mind as he looked from Gwaine to Carrow, who's jaw was clenched as she pushed into his shoulder.

"This is supposed to stay on the inside, love, don't you know anything?" Carrow said, her voice breaking. More blood began to seep out and Merlin sidled up closer to Gwaine, who was chuckling again.

"Stop that," Merlin said sharply, "You're not helping yourself. Carrow can you start working the same spell you did on me? I'll try and lend my magic to you."

"Yes, but you'll have to concentrate, too, Merlin. Focus on the flesh, mending it. Encouraging it to right itself. Make sure the blood separates back into the veins, will it out of his lungs," Carrow said. Healing seemed to be a lot more complicated than willing a fire into existence somehow. He swallowed and put his hands on top of Carrow's.

She began the spell and he repeated after her. The trick of it seemed to be holding it all in his head. He could feel the blood pouring into Gwaine's lungs, and Merlin concentrated on forcing it out. He had to focus on mending the hole in Gwaine's lung next. Merlin could feel the magic seep through his hands into Carrow, who was the one who could direct it more elegantly. What felt like an hour really took no more than a couple minutes.

Finally Gwaine's breathing steadied and the hole above his heart closed entirely, leaving nothing behind but soft pink scar tissue. Merlin took his hands back and Carrow ripped Gwaine's shirt open the rest of the way to further inspect the wound, to be sure it was closed properly.

"Any excuse, huh, darlin'?" Gwaine sputtered, coughing up what was left of the blood in his threat. Carrow ignored the comment, but wiped her hands off on the sleeve of Gwaine's shirt irritably.

"I told you to _duck_, you fool. No one listens!" Carrow got to her feet and went off in the opposite direction, leaving Merlin there with Gwaine to deal with his thoughts. Merlin hadn't realized, but his heart was still doing somersaults beneath his ribcage. His jaw clenched as he absentmindedly offered Gwaine a hand.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I seem to be. Thanks to you and the shrew," Gwaine said, a broad grin on his face. The man had cheated death for what was surely the hundredth time, Merlin wondered if he'd be able to follow suit. Arthur may have been letting Carrow get away with her nonsense, but Merlin had a sinking feeling that he was going to be fired and tossed out of Camelot. Carrow hadn't lied to Arthur for three and a half years. Putting off the truth _had_ been stupid. The better their friendship became, the harder telling the truth had become though. And Arthur made it so much easier for Merlin to lie! The prince only ever saw what he wanted to, until it was too late. But Merlin was making excuses. He should have told Arthur because the man deserved to know.

####

"Where is Bryant?" Arthur said, trying to compartmentalize his anger for the moment. Leon was hunched over a body and Arthur's stomach churned. Leon stood up, stopping Arthur from going any further.

"Sire, he… he was outnumbered," Leon said. Arthur shoved Leon out of the way and saw that Bryant had been stabbed through, but that hadn't been what killed him. An arrow was lodged in his head. Thomas flashed through Arthur's mind.

Arthur felt bile rise in his throat and he doubled over beside the slain Bryant, emptying his belly. He straightened himself and wiped his mouth, breathing heavily. Leon looked away and said something about burying the body. Arthur wasn't paying attention, a dazed look on his face, he found Merlin leaning against a tree.

"Is Gwaine alright?" Arthur asked. Merlin nodded, still struggling to meet his eyes.

"Good," Arthur said before proceeding to punch Merlin square in the jaw. Merlin fell to the ground. Arthur wanted to hit him again, the anger was already beginning to overflow and he didn't know what to do with it. He wanted to kill the little bastard. All this time, he realized. He'd made a fool of him! He'd lied for over three years! Straight to his bloody face! He had considered the servant a _friend_, but all this time he'd just been harboring a damn traitor.

Memories had begun to flood back of impossible things that had only ever happened when Merlin was around. The gryphon, Lancelot couldn't take credit for what he didn't do - but Merlin was there. At Ealdor it hadn't been his friend who'd used magic, but him. Then the dragon. He'd been knocked unconscious and Merlin had been the only one there - he'd done something to it. Arthur had never been so angry, felt so betrayed since Morgause had pitted him against his father.

Arthur pulled out his sword, aiming it at Merlin's throat.

"All this time you've just _lied_. Everything we've been through and I am just so sick and tired of being underestimated - that's why you didn't tell me, I can understand why, but after all this bloody time! You think that I would what? Have you killed? Turn you over to my father? You think so little of me! And then because you were afraid you took your sweet bloody time with some spell and now Bryant is dead - that is on _you_, Merlin," Arthur said, squeezing the hilt of his sword. He stood there for a moment, looking as if he might really run Merlin through.

"Arthur, I -" Merlin started.

"No, don't you _dare_ apologize to me. You go help Leon dig Bryant's grave. And if I see your eyes even _glimmer_ in doing the chore, I will slit your throat," Arthur said through gritted teeth. He sheathed his sword and turned away from Merlin, his blood boiling and itching under his skin.

Merlin had magically bound what remained of Oleg's men to the ground, but they were struggling against the restraints. Arthur punched the one nearest to him in the face and kept doing so until the bandit was unconscious and his knuckles bled.

He found a tree as far away as he dared to go from Merlin and the rest and slid down against it. His entire life his father warned him against magic and sorcery, that it was nothing but evil. He knew in his heart that this was wrong. Oleg had nothing but simple mortal weapons on his side, he'd been the one to kill Bryant. Gwaine would have been dead without magic. Without Merlin. But every fiber in his being was warning him against trusting it.

He was barely aware of Carrow taking his hands in hers. She began mopping the blood from his knuckles with a stained rag and what was left of the water in her flask.

"I just don't understand why he lied," Arthur whispered.

"Yes, you do, love. He was trying to protect you," Carrow said.

"I should have him arrested for treason," Arthur said.

"It's certainly what your father would do, irregardless of how many times his gifts have saved the kingdom," Carrow said, nodding. "I know I can't wait for my own pyre once we've gotten rid of Keldor." She paused. "Question is, do you want to be like your father?"

"I can't just forget this," Arthur said.

"No. So have him carry your things, polish your armor, your shoes, wash your clothes, be target practice, you know - be your own personal slave, really humiliate him. Sounds like a fair punishment? Oh no, wait - that's just how his life is! Do you think he enjoys playing the fool while you strut around and order him about?" Carrow said.

Arthur took his hands away from her, part of his anger redirecting towards her.

"You really can't speak to me like that, witch," Arthur said.

Carrow smiled, putting a hand under his chin. "You're so cute when you're angry, you get this funny little wrinkle in your forehead." He saw that he was indeed playing right into her game. She wanted him to be angrier with her than Merlin. But then who was she? She knew nothing about him! No, she just knew how to worm her way right under his skin. Just like the elephant eared little bastard had.

She got up, tossing the ruined rag at him. "You'll forgive him, Arthur. If you're the man I think you are, you will. Now stop being an infant, get up, and help us bury Sir Bryant," Carrow said before stomping off. Arthur scowled at her as she walked away, unable to admit to himself that she was right.

####

Merlin had watched Carrow go find Arthur, he was sure to try and talk sense to the prince. Merlin massaged his jaw, which ached something fierce. Leon didn't seem too keen on looking him in the eye, probably agreeing with Arthur. But in reality, _Merlin_ agreed with Arthur. At least to a point. He could justify his reasoning for keeping the magic from him all he wanted, but the fact remained that he had lied to his best friend.

"Merlin, don't beat yourself up over it, mate," Gwaine said, helping dig the grave with his sword. The rogue was trying to be as somber as possible, but Merlin got the feeling Gwaine really felt he was going to die back there and he couldn't quite keep the smile from his voice.

Between the three of them, Gwaine, Merlin, and Leon managed to dig a sizable hole to bury Bryant. Merlin's heart sank a little deeper as he remembered that the last thing he'd said to the man was about how bad he smelled. He hadn't liked Bryant all that much and that made him feel even more guilty. Arthur was right, it _was_ his fault Bryant was dead. He could have stopped them earlier but he didn't.

Leon and Gwaine shifted Bryant's body into the grave, Merlin stood back wiping the sweat from his forehead. Carrow came up behind him, her expression mournful. She got to her knees beside the grave and whispered something that Merlin couldn't hear over his head before she kissed what was left of the man's forehead.

Arthur was there then, and the five of them finished burying the young knight. Once they were finished, Arthur shoved Bryant's sword into the ground at the head of the grave.

Twenty minutes later, the five of them had rounded up what was left of Oleg's band of thieves together. Merlin worried Arthur might simply have them killed now, but the prince surprised him. Again.

"Your leader is dead," Arthur said, his tone official and emotionless. "Usually I would have you all follow his fate, but you're in luck as we don't exactly have time to deliver executions right now. You have seen what little mercy my _witch_ takes upon those who seek to harm her. You have seen what my… sorcerer can do. If any of you think to exact revenge by following us, you _will_ be slaughtered. Am I clear?"

Merlin didn't dare take that to mean that things would cool off between them. No, Arthur was smart enough to know that Merlin would probably be the only thing that would keep them from following.

"Collect your dead and burn the bodies, then get as far away from here as possible. If I see any of you again, I will kill you myself," Arthur said, nodding to Gwaine and Leon to cut through the six men's bindings. They looked from Carrow to their dead leader (whom Arthur had taken care to toss in front of them, riddled with holes, his throat wrenched open) to Merlin. None of them looked like they would argue or even move.

"Merlin, help gather the things," Arthur said stiffly.

"Yes, sire," Merlin said, nodding. He wondered if they just weren't going to talk about it now. Actually he knew they weren't going to right now.

"I assume you're the one who's really been tracking Gerrard?" Arthur stopped to ask. Merlin nodded and Arthur looked at Carrow. "Then what is it, exactly, that you even do?"

"I stab people in the throat with arrows. Any other stupid questions, you're highness?" Carrow said, actually sounding a bit peeved about the whole thing. Merlin couldn't stop himself from chuckling.

"I told you to help gather the bloody supplies. And take whatever they had on them," Arthur barked at him, but Merlin thought he saw the smallest of smiles as the prince turned away. Perhaps that was just wishful thinking though. It was going to be a very long time before they got back to where they were, but Merlin dared to hope they would eventually get there. In any case it felt as though some huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

####

"Gwaine, wake up." There was a loud slap and Gwaine woke with a start. He was shivering slightly and didn't remember where he was until he saw Carrow looking over him. Confused, he tried to sit up, but his head began to spin. He hadn't remembered getting pissed the night before, but it happened so often that he couldn't rule it out.

"I think you may be infected, sweetheart," Carrow said, sponging off his wet forehead with what looked like Merlin's old scarf. He remembered now that they had stopped for the night only hours ago. He looked around to see that Merlin, Arthur, and Leon were still asleep. "Perhaps the healing didn't go properly. You've been muttering in your sleep. Do you remember what it was of?"

Gwaine blinked, images coming back to him. He'd seen _her_ again. Well, not so much seen her as felt her there. But he'd been having those dreams for a while now. Ever since he'd gotten to Loxley. Merlin had said the ghosts could latch onto you though, like Carrow's boy had done to Arthur, so Gwaine hadn't thought to mention it.

"No, no I feel fine," Gwaine lied. He'd be lying though, if he said he didn't enjoy being looked after. It had been quite a while since he'd had someone tend to him. "Last person who cared for me this tenderly was Merlin, actually. After I first met him and his royal pratness. I do prefer your gentle caress though." He was unable to resist flirting. Carrow usually played the game very well, too. He didn't think she was necessarily fooled or charmed by him, but she never asked him to stop either.

She smiled at him, those ugly scars on the side of her face softening somewhat. On any other woman, he didn't think they'd be quite so endearing or at all, for that matter, but her confidence wasn't marred by them. She owned them.

"What were you dreaming of, you smarmy bastard?" she said, the smile vanishing, but still on the tip of her tongue.

"You," he said. She emptied a flask of water on his face and he sputtered.

"Quiet now, wouldn't want to wake the prince," Carrow said. "Be honest. I've got a whole 'nother flask here."

Gwaine grinned mischievously, sitting up now as his head settled. "Alright then, love. If you really want to ruin the moment, I dreamt of that ghost woman again. But she's been blipping in and out of my dreams for weeks now."

"But you don't usually break into cold sweats because of it, specifically what can you remember?" Carrow said. Gwaine sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"What does it matter?"

"I don't know, but it might. She's attached herself to _you_ now," Carrow said. She scooted away from him then, which he regretted. He didn't like that he had irritated her, that seemed hard to do. Leave it to him to achieve it.

"I don't know that I really _saw_ her. I just get this feeling that it's her. She's, well, she's scared. But she's also trying to keep a hold on herself, like she's trying to keep the fear from overtaking her. I keep seeing that cave where we found you, specifically those dodgy little doodles at the front," Gwaine said. He didn't see how that would help, of course. He honestly didn't believe the ghost was giving him the dreams on purpose, she couldn't possibly have that sort of power. But he did believe his subconscious liked playing tricks on him.

"Any one of those doodles in particular?" Carrow asked. Gwaine closed his eyes trying to remember.

"No, it's like seeing the place through the eyes of someone experiencing a seizure. Very nauseating, very blurry," Gwaine said, shrugging. "Why were you awake?"

"I fell asleep first, you seemed to find a place quite close to me and your infernal mutterings woke me," she said, rolling her eyes. The fire glowed beside them. "Besides, Leon fell asleep leaving no one to keep watch. Very knightly behavior."

"Can't blame me for wanting to keep warm," Gwaine said arching an eyebrow at her. She began drawing lines in the dirt in front of her, ignoring his comment. "There something between you and Arthur?"

"Nope," Carrow said absentmindedly. Gwaine wondered if that was true or not. Carrow was fairly good at disregarding personal questions. He sat quietly for a moment, watching her. He frowned as she finished one of those runes she always seemed to be drawing, he put a hand on her arm.

"Actually, maybe - I'm not positive - but that one might have been a feature in more than one of my dreams," Gwaine said. "But… I think it was backwards."

"Ansuz?" Carrow said, frowning. She reversed it. "Like this?" Gwaine nodded and she stamped the rune out. "Here is means insight, signals… gives power to words. Reversed it enhances manipulation and delusion. On the cave it would help to keep the spirits stuck in those loops, unable to move on."

"Why would she show me that?" Gwaine asked.

She paused for a moment, looking as though she might say something thoughtful. "Haven't the foggiest. You can take this watch though," she said instead.

As she got up, Gwaine grabbed her arm and pulled her down into a kiss. He put a hand to her cheek, pulling her closer. She was stiff at first, unwilling, but she eventually responded. When they parted, she licked her lips a bit breathlessly and cocked her head to the side. "You're a pain in my arse." He grinned, taking that as a good thing. Rolling her eyes, she pecked him once more on the mouth and said, "Goodnight. Warm up to Merlin if you're cold."

Gwaine chuckled quietly, turning to stoke the dying fire.

##

_So lots going on in this chapter. I was going to wait before the big reveal to Arthur, but then I was like… why? That's what the writers keep doing and it irritates me, so why should I wait for a grand finale to reveal? Besides if that were going on, I wouldn't be able to play with their emotions/feelings as much as I'd like to. Hopefully this is all pretty in character, but tell me if you guys are like… no way, all wrong! Regardless I'll warn you guys I actually hate angst/teenagery bullshit, so there's not going to be a lot of whining about it. Arthur's more about testosterone and anger than moping in my opinion. Merlin's kind of a moper, but he gets over it. So yeah if you want that kind of thing… it's not going to happen._

_Also, did you guys know fight scenes are really hard to orchestrate? ._

_And yeah with Gwaine and Carrow. Um, I don't have much to say on that right now, but I'd love to hear your thoughts/reviews! Sorry this was longwinded, I guess I feel chatty tonight, lol. Thanks for reading!_


	12. Chapter 12: Devil's Spoke

Chapter 12: _Devil's Spoke_

##

Arthur woke early the following morning. Gwaine was leaning against a tree, mouth slightly open as he slept through his watch. The sun was barely peaking through the canopy of trees. Carrow was still asleep with her knees clutched to her chest, her brow furrowed. He wondered if she were dreaming, if he ought to wake her. But then he didn't really want the company, did he? His eyes swept away from her and landed briefly on Merlin, anger rising in his throat.

Making sure that his sword was safely sheathed, Arthur started away from camp. Part of him wanted to wake Merlin if only to shout at him some more, but another part of him - a larger part - just never wanted to speak to the traitorous little warlock again.

He could just wake Leon and the two could head back to Camelot. Forget about Malorne, the lost souls. They'd been stuck there for this long, a few more years wouldn't hurt. Keldor wasn't doing anyone _living_ any harm. If Carrow wanted to free them so badly, she'd have Merlin to help her. She'd known, too, he realized. The whole damn time - he'd thought that she was his friend as well. But she didn't even have the decency to warn him about Merlin's magic. She'd taken pains to cover for him! All that rubbish about how dear a friend the little bastard was… meanwhile she'd worked to keep it all from him.

Arthur glanced back for a moment, having thought he heard someone mutter something. It had been Gwaine, he realized, talking in his sleep. Arthur stopped for a moment to listen.

"…running, she can't go… you're already dead… stop… cold…"

Arthur circled back around to wake Gwaine. He couldn't leave the bastard trapped in whatever sort of hell he was making for himself - but then he stopped. Gwaine hadn't been surprised at all when Merlin revealed himself. Arthur had chocked that up to relief and gratitude that he hadn't died, but the reaction still wasn't… He had known, too.

_Everyone_ had known.

Arthur's hands clenched into fists. His hand went to his sword. He wanted so badly to hurt them. All three of them had let him wander around in the dark. It didn't matter to Arthur that they had their reasons - he had never lied, he had never kept anything from them. Suddenly he felt as if he were five years old, he wanted to fall to the ground and kick and scream.

He wandered away from the camp then, knowing that if he stayed he would do something he would end up regretting. Leaning against a tree, he stopped to look at his hands which were shaking uncontrollably. He clenched them into fists and looked at his knuckles which were bruised and still crusted with blood from beating the life out of that bandit the previous day. He wrung out his hand, willing it to stop. The last time he'd been so angry he had nearly killed his own father. He remembered that Merlin had stopped him.

Thinking of this did nothing to calm him, so instead of dealing with it he continued to traipse around in the forest, praying that one of those bandits had decided to follow them. He hadn't even gotten a fraction of his frustration out yesterday. He wanted so badly to break something, to destroy something. Yesterday he had kept it together only so long as to sort things out but now… now he just couldn't do it. He wasn't going back.

Suddenly things went cold, but Arthur was so busy wallowing in his heated fury that he didn't notice his breath turn to fog. His head had been vibrating through so many stupid lies, things Merlin had said to continue keeping those lies from unraveling, that he wasn't prepared for the blade pressing into his lower back. He stopped in his tracks, his heart beat racing out of adrenaline induced by stress and frustration, rather than fear. There was no room in his mind for fear right now.

"You have no idea how big a mistake you're making," Arthur said. He spun around so quickly that _had_ the dagger still been at his backside, he would have been able to grab it. But no one was there.

"Ghost or spectre or bandit, show yourself! I'm in no mood for games!" Arthur growled. He wondered if perhaps it was Carrow. This might be the sort of thing she would do, seeing it as an effort to calm him.

"You said you'd help her." Arthur whizzed around again, unsheathing his sword in one swift motion as he did so. He nearly stumbled over a stray root in his hurry, but managed to keep his feet.

"T-Thomas?" Arthur said. The little boy with the messy blond curls and an empty eye socket was indeed standing before him. Arthur thought he must be dreaming, but instinctively backed away from the boy, this time tripping over the root and falling to his backside. It hurt.

"The bad man knows what you're doing. He's doing all he can to stop you. My mummy - he wants her real bad," Thomas said, coming towards Arthur. "Sara can't help you anymore, he's trapped her - but she sent me." Arthur pushed himself away from Thomas, innately afraid of the boy even though he knew he shouldn't be.

"H-He's… Keldor's been watching us," Arthur said. Thomas nodded somberly, turning his head slightly to look at Arthur through his one good eye. The little boy had furrowed his brow, the effect made him look so much like his mother that Arthur's heart skipped a beat. The resemblance was jarring.

If Thomas could be here now, appear to him like this - then Keldor must also have his ways. Oleg and his men had been waiting for them. They had known exactly how and where to attack. "Yes, he sent those bad men after you. Keldor is almost as good as Sara at manipulating dreams using the faces of the dead…"

"But how are _you_ here now? You're… you're just a child! How are you here, talking to me if so many are unable?"

"Mummy. She's always tried… so hard to contact me, I think. Sara says it's because of how much she loves me… no one else that's stuck there is remembered like me… But it's also because Keldor thinks I'm going to lure you and mummy back. He sees me as bait. Can you make sure that mummy doesn't come back? She's very stubborn but… Sara says you should tie her to a tree - anything to keep her from coming back," Thomas said frantically, he kept looking around fearfully as if he expected someone to jump out at them.

Arthur understood now, why Thomas kept refusing to appear to Carrow. He didn't want her to be hurt.

"Who is Sara?"

"Ask the wizard. Or the drunk," Thomas said, he had begun to fade already. Arthur's jaw clenched at the very mention of them, his anger had ebbed only slightly but it was coming back at the thought of having to work with Merlin.

Suddenly someone else blipped into the forest behind the boy. Arthur's eyes widened for a moment. Bryant, one eyed and looking just as macabre as Thomas, grabbed the boy around the middle. Thomas howled and Arthur jumped to his feet as though to grab both of them.

"Thomas!" he shouted. Bryant looked ready to snarl at Arthur, ready to slice his head off. But without a word, both of them vanished. "Bryant! What are you doing! Get back here!" Arthur yelled himself hoarse. Neither of them were coming back. Arthur's breathing intensified. Had Keldor somehow gotten to Bryant? He'd only been dead for a couple hours. His heart sunk, the guilt of the knight's death increasing ten fold.

He'd been so busy being angry with Merlin, he hadn't even mourned the knight's death. But Bryant had known what Keldor was capable of… could Keldor really ensnare Bryant so quickly? Or was the knight angry enough about his death to turn against him? The man's face had been contorted into the same furious expression that Arthur had been wearing for the past day, but Bryant's anger was directed at Arthur.

"Thomas? Thomas!" Arthur began shouting again. He wasted another half hour wandering around the forest trying to find the boy, irregardless of futility - which he knew it was. He felt helpless. Whatever his mother's faults, Arthur couldn't let the boy be stuck under Keldor's rule for the rest of eternity. Keldor _could_ affect the living. It was no longer one village lost, Arthur saw, anyone was fair game for that bastard. Anyone until he got what he wanted.

He heard a crunch of leaves behind him, Arthur's grip tightened on his sword and he turned around with it raised, ready to bring it straight down through whomever had decided to sneak up on him.

"It's just me!" Merlin said, putting his hands up. Arthur scowled at Merlin, wanting to bring the sword down on the man's head anyway. He couldn't keep a self satisfied smirk from appearing as he saw that the lower right side of Merlin's face had gone a deep purple from where Arthur had punched him.

"Arthur, we have to talk." Arthur didn't answer, but walked around Merlin, following the trail Merlin had left behind him back towards camp.

"Arthur, I only lied to you because I didn't want to end up dead," Merlin said. "I had to keep my secret in order to continue protecting _you._" His servant's voice was filled with anxiety and pleading. Arthur just didn't want to hear it.

"Merlin if you don't stop talking you may end up dead regardless of your intentions," Arthur said, pointing his sword at him. Merlin opened his mouth and then closed it again. Arthur ignored him and continued back towards camp.

"Why were you shouting after Thomas?" Merlin asked tentatively. "I heard you when I went to collect firewood." Considering Merlin wasn't carrying any wood with him at the moment, Arthur sincerely doubted this. He had probably been looking for him. It occurred to him that Merlin probably didn't even _need_ firewood to produce a fire. He could probably shoot it out from his hands. Arthur did not want to talk to Merlin, he did not want to talk to any of them. He really just wanted to go home and sleep for a month.

"I will tell you when we get back to camp. You're not special, Merlin, you don't get your own bloody audience," Arthur spat. Merlin shook his head at that, snorting bitterly at the prince as he led the way back to camp.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, Arthur trying to reign in his anger enough so that he didn't decide to punch Merlin in the face again. He didn't know _why_ that would necessarily be a bad thing. A few more bruises wouldn't kill the man. And it would make Arthur feel better. Arthur thought he should be afraid of what Merlin could do - he got the feeling he'd only had a taste of what the man was capable of yesterday. He just couldn't bring himself to feel anything but anger towards Merlin. Fear really didn't factor into it.

He paused for a moment as the dragon popped into his head again. He couldn't even remember what he'd been thinking when Merlin had told him he'd slain it. How the hell could he have done something like _that_ and not remembered? He wanted to ask, but he couldn't bring himself to talk to Merlin. He had a feeling things like this would be popping into his head for the next couple of months and it did nothing to improve his mood.

He continued then towards the camp, he could hear Carrow and Gwaine talking about something already, but he couldn't make out what it was. As he drew nearer, he saw Carrow leaning over Gwaine to inspect his wound from yesterday. Something was different though, she had a softer smile as she looked at him and the entire scene seemed somehow more intimate. Arthur tilted his head sideways, watching the procession for a moment, as neither seemed to notice he and Merlin had come back. Merlin crashed into Arthur then, clearly not paying attention to his surroundings as usual.

Something in Arthur snapped and he turned around and shoving Merlin roughtly to the ground, the anger rising in his cheeks as he did so. "Can you _never_ pay attention?"

Merlin collected himself, stammering yet another apology at the prince.

Carrow and Gwaine looked up then, and Leon came around with an armful of firewood. Each of their expressions mirrored one another and Arthur was all of sudden ashamed of his action. But not so much that he would apologize for it. He did his best to ignore them all for the moment, finally sheathing his sword as he tried to collect himself.

"_Your_ son appeared to me not thirty minutes ago," Arthur said, gritting his teeth as he glared at Carrow who had stood up. "Apparently Keldor is more far reaching than we thought. He was the one who alerted Oleg to our presence here yesterday. So that's terrific. Why didn't you warn me he could communicate with the living through dreams, huh?"

"He what?" Merlin asked.

"I - I didn't know he could do that. Even if I did, I can't see the future, Arthur. How could I predict he'd conjure up a bunch of mercenaries to attack us?" Carrow said. She sounded both surprised and irritated at his accusation. "How do you mean Thomas appeared to you?"

"What do you think I mean? He _appeared_," Arthur snapped. "The creepy little bastard, one eyed and menacing, appeared in front of me. Said some _Sara_ woman had taught him how - but she's stuck now and can't help us anymore. I took that to mean she's that woman in white always lingering about. Told me to ask the wizard or… the drunk about her." Arthur motioned to Gwaine, who shrugged. "Well?"

"She keeps coming to me in dreams, like she's trying to warn me of something, one of those runes on the cave wall - Ansuz, right?" Gwaine said, asking Carrow, who nodded. Arthur bristled at the thought of more secret meetings, but didn't interrupt. "It's the one that keeps the ghosts in their their ah, death loops. Carrow and I haven't figured out what it would help us with yet, though." _Carrow and I. _Arthur took a deep breath in hopes it might calm him. Of course it didn't really do the trick.

Arthur rounded on Merlin, who hadn't bothered to pick himself. "How far away is that bastard with the stone?"

"A couple days at the most, he's finally stopped moving around," Merlin said.

"Fine. Everyone start packing your things, we're leaving in fifteen minutes," Arthur said.

####

It had been two days. Arthur hadn't spoken to anyone but Leon in that time. Merlin had tried to initiate conversation quite a few times, but Arthur just wasn't in the mood. The only mood he was in was the hitting mood.

"We can probably make it to him by sometime midmorning," Merlin said. Arthur almost wanted to force them on, but he knew they were already beginning to hate him. They had rode hard for the last two days, Arthur barely allowing them to stop and rest. Carrow had been glaring at him with nothing but contempt during that time, but Arthur had returned it ten fold.

"Sire, we ought to stop for the night. I don't think you've eaten enough," Leon said. The knight had been treading lightest of all. Leon was loathe to be on anyone's bad side, but Arthur was glad to talk to someone neutral.

"Fine, we'll make camp here," Arthur said, sighing. He would have rather kept going, but he knew they'd need to be at full strength tomorrow. He wasn't sure how powerful this Gerrard was, or whether he, Leon, and Gwaine would be needed at all. Perhaps Merlin and Carrow were the only ones who would have any effect on him.

"Do we know how to kill _him_ at least?" Arthur asked no one in particular.

"I was hoping losin' his head might do the trick," Carrow said.

"You'd be amazed at how often that works," Gwaine added, grinning at her. Arthur turned around, grimacing to himself. Weren't they absolutely adorable?

"I'm going to get some firewood," he announced.

"But we don't need -"

"I don't _care_, Merlin. I'm going to get firewood," Arthur said, cutting him off. He simply wanted to get away from them. He trekked through the forest, needlessly picking up stray twigs and branches, muttering irritably to himself as he did so.

"Oh Gwaine, what silky hair you have!" Arthur said in a high pitched voice, doing a very poor imitation of Carrow. He deepened his voice, "I know, isn't it? I can somehow manage to keep it this way even without bathing for days on end! I'm just so drunk and lovable!"

"Arthur, are you talking to yourself?' Arthur dropped the wood and spun around to find Merlin. His cheeks flushed red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"Are you bloody following me now?"

"No, well, sort of. Look, we can't just ignore this!" Merlin said.

"Actually, I think it's been going rather well - ignoring it, that is," Arthur said, not even bothering to pick up the wood.

"Arthur, I'm sorry I lied to you," Merlin said.

"Yeah, you keep saying that," Arthur replied, his tone reaching new heights of condescension.

"Well, I don't really know what more I can _do_! You can go ahead and feel betrayed all you want, but if it weren't for me you'd be _dead_, Arthur! Dead!" Merlin said. Arthur wondered if Merlin's patience had finally reached its own breaking point.

"Yeah, well I never asked for your help!"

"Do you even hear yourself? I mean really, you're reaching new levels of immaturity here," Merlin said, crossing his arms.

"Not interested in your opinion, Merlin. Because no matter what illegal little talents you may have, you're still just a bloody servant," Arthur said.

"Ah that's funny, because I thought after all this I was your friend. Otherwise you wouldn't be so _hurt_ by my supposed betrayal," Merlin said.

"Friend?" Arthur laughed bitterly. "I don't even _know_ you. If we manage to get rid of Keldor, you're not coming back with me, either. Not unless you want to end up burning for your crimes - I am _not_ lying for you." Merlin stared at him for a moment after that assertion, before shaking his head with a grim smile and stalking off in the opposite direction.

Arthur swore under his breath.

"Speak when you're angry and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret," a voice said beside him. Carrow stood there, holding out a plate of food to him, what looked like mushrooms and potatoes grilled over the fire. He scowled at her, but his stomach rumbled and he took the food, following her back to camp.

####

Merlin paced back and forth in the middle of the forest, his mind racing from topic to topic. He was trying to distract himself from Arthur, who he was sure would make good on his promise. He'd never see Gaius or Gwen again and the idea was making him sick to his stomach. That selfish royal prat. Merlin was trying to see it from Arthur's point of view, he really was, but it didn't matter. No matter how he looked at it, he supposed it wasn't fair for either of them. But Arthur was a bloody prince and Merlin was a soon to be homeless servant who's very existence was illegal. He didn't want to wallow in self pity, but no matter how he looked at it - he was the one who would suffer the most.

Carrow had told him to give it time, that it would be alright. But at the same time, he half thought Carrow just wanted them all to hold it together long enough to get rid of Keldor. Then she would probably slink away into the shadows and be done with them. Or maybe not, maybe she, Gwaine, and Merlin would end up having to make their own home far away from Camelot. None of them, it seemed, was welcome there.

He chose to put that to the side. He had been agonizing over what would become of him for the past three days and there were more pressing matters at hand. For one, how to get Keldor into this realm without sacrificing Carrow. For another, if they managed that - what the hell would they trap him in?

"Oi, mate!" Gwaine said suddenly from behind him. "Why the hell are you all the way out here? I had to employ my very little used tracking skills to find you." Merlin snorted at him, surprised that he was grateful for the company.

"Why did you need to find me?" Merlin asked.

"Carrow, mother hen that she sometimes is, wanted me to feed you," Gwaine said, producing mushrooms and potatoes from a bag. "I may have tripped earlier and squashed them, but I'm sure they taste the same." Only Gwaine would admit such a thing and not look remotely ashamed about it. Actually Merlin wasn't even sure that Gwaine could _feel_ shame. It was like he'd been wired without it.

"Mhmm," Merlin said.

"Also, she wanted me to give you a hug from her so if you'd like it…" Gwaine said, stretching his arms wide. Merlin shook his head. "No? Suit yourself, then, mate. I didn't want to hug you anyway."

"Well you've done as you were told, you don't have to stick around," Merlin said.

"What, and go back to sit with his royal iciness? I think not. Leon's not that much of a help either, he just sits there looking all prim and noble meanwhile I can barely tell if he even knows what's going on," Gwaine said.

"Don't knock Sir Leon," Merlin said, laughing. He fished out one of the mushrooms and popped it into his mouth.

"Who's knocking? I just want to know why he always looks so glazed over!" Gwaine said. Merlin slid down against a tree and Gwaine sat beside him, stealing one of the half squashed potatoes. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, Merlin moping over the idea Arthur would never forgive him and Gwaine, Merlin assumed, thinking about Carrow.

"You and Carrow, huh?" Merlin asked.

"Hmm? What about us?" Gwaine replied.

"Are you -" Merlin paused as the hairs on his neck began to stick up. Gwaine, he sensed, felt it too. He stood up, muttering a quick spell which conjured a small orb of light. Merlin turned his head and the light followed, cutting through the darkness for him. He didn't see anything. "You hear that?"

"Probably just pheasants," Gwaine replied, but his tone was anything but cheerful. "You think one of those bandits didn't take the warnin'?"

"I hope that's all it is," Merlin said. Gwaine unsheathed his sword.

Merlin took a few steps forward, as crying caught his ears. It sounded like a man, actually, a man who was weeping something fierce. Merlin continued ahead, making his orb of light zoom forward to show the way. There was a knight, bending over what looked like a body… Was that Arthur?

"I'm… so sorry," the knight was saying. Merlin's eyes widened.

"Can't be," Gwaine breathed.

"Bryant - what are you - Arthur?" Merlin rushed to the Prince's side. Arthur was sputtering up blood and Merlin frantically searched for the site of the wound. "Go find Carrow, Gwaine - hurry!" Gwaine didn't even bother nodding, but bounded in the direction of the camp. Merlin's heart had lodged itself in his throat, tears welled up in his eyes. He couldn't find the wound!

"Arthur, where are you hurt? I don't see where you're hurt!" Merlin ripped through the prince's shirt, looking for any sign of a wound, but he didn't see it. Arthur was losing consciousness. Merlin pushed on the prince's chest, eyes glowing gold as he searched for what was wrong with him. He couldn't… He couldn't sense anything! "Carrow!" Merlin called out.

"He'll be dead soon," Bryant said.

"What did you do! What did you do to him!" Merlin shouted, looking at Bryant's ghost pleadingly.

"What did _I_ do to _him_? Look what he did to me! Smug little royal, always getting his way… And you… you could have saved me! I see that now, it's you're fault I'm dead. Both your faults. Him for being too proud and you for being too cowardly," Bryant said, but Merlin only heard half of it. Arthur's pulse was slowing and Carrow and Gwaine had not reappeared.

"We'll help you move on, Bryant, just tell me how to fix him!" Merlin said, tears falling down his cheeks. He wiped them away furiously.

"He's slipping," Bryant said sadly.

Merlin got up, wanting to punch the blood stained young knight in the face. It slipped Merlin's mind that the man was dead and therefore intangible. He rushed forward, looking to grab him and perhaps shake the answer out of him. As he did so, though, Merlin tripped on a root and fell forward - into a sinkhole.

Merlin fell, hitting roots and rocks as he did so. He hit his head on a particularly jagged one as he landed fifty feet below. He heard laughing from above him, but his vision was already failing. The last thing he saw was Arthur waving at him with a smile on his face, blood still dribbling down his throat. Merlin slipped out of consciousness.

####

"Will he be alright? He'll live, right? Carrow, he'll be alright, right?" Voices were streaming in and out of his consciousness. His eyes fluttered and faces swam in front of him. He closed them again. He could feel blood trickling down his face, but someone wiped it.

"Arthur if you don't get out of the way, I'll throw you down there."

Merlin could feel himself being lifted, every bone in his body protested as they did so. It felt like something was sitting on his chest. He could still hear them talking around him, but he couldn't differentiate who was talking. He didn't try, either, it didn't seem important. Arthur was dead! No… no he'd seen Arthur, he was alright? Merlin couldn't tell, everything was a blur now but he was trying to wake up.

He felt like he was swimming through something thick and soupy. He tried calling out, but there was no one there. He was alone and he was going to drown. Kicking and gulping for air that just wouldn't come, Merlin couldn't even collect himself enough to say a spell that might just save his life.

Then there was a pounding on his chest, he could feel it. His heart wasn't cooperating, though. "Merlin, come on you lazy sod, _breathe_." He heard that voice, but he couldn't reach it. He knew it was Arthur. But then he remembered that Arthur was dead, he had to be dead. He saw him choke to death on his own blood. Even if it was Arthur, Arthur hated him now. The prince wouldn't care that he was dying. It was just some tiny voice in his head that was trying to encourage him to breathe.

Something pounded on his chest once more, but this time a spurt of electricity followed. Whether he wanted to or not, Merlin had no choice but to drink in fresh air. He wheezed and sputtered, but eventually his lungs swelled and he could breathe again.

"Give him some room, mate," came Gwaine's voice.

Merlin's eyes fluttered open and he saw Carrow leaning over him. She was muttering some sort of spell, her eyes gold. He could feel the magic working its way through his body, helping him to breath better, edging down towards his legs which he knew were both broken. He could remember hearing the awful crack as he landed. She squeezed his hand tighter and his own magic helped hers along, strengthening and speeding up the process.

She stopped then and took a deep breath, looking light headed. Carrow blinked and Merlin noticed that tears were running down her cheeks. Gwaine came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, looking at Merlin white faced and alarmed.

"Gave us quite a scare there, Merlin," Gwaine said.

"What happened?" Merlin said, struggling to sit up. His head swam and he decided against it. Carrow pushed his shoulders down.

"You're not one hundred percent, it took all I had to drain the blood from your brain," Carrow said. "We'll fix you up better later, for now, just rest."

"Arthur! Gwaine, Arthur was dead - did you save him? What happened!" Merlin said suddenly, struggling against Carrow.

"What the hell gave you that idea?" the prince said, coming forward with Leon to get a better look at Merlin.

"You were… but you were -" Merlin said, relief flooding his brain, which, as it turned out - sort of hurt a hell of a lot.

"Is anyone going to tell me why the hell I had to fish my servant out of a bloody sinkhole?" Arthur said rudely, clearly not listening to Carrow's advice that Merlin should rest. Merlin's head was beginning to throb.

"I told you, you looked like you were dying. In retrospect I'm going to go ahead and guess spectre," Gwaine said.

"But you said Bryant was there as well," Carrow said. It seemed to Merlin that they hadn't even spoken about what had happened, all attention seemed to be focused on making sure he had been alright. His eyes began to water a bit.

"Yes, yes he was - perhaps there were two?"

"Not one of us would _desire_ to see Bryant. I think we can go ahead and assume that somehow Keldor has even hired spectres and Bryant is working with them," Arthur said grimly. Merlin couldn't quite focus enough to add anything, he just watched quietly as they all seemed to come to the same conclusion without him. He felt like he might pass out again.

"Oh, sweetheart, you can't fall asleep - I'm pretty sure you have a concussion, hang in there a while. We'll find you something to drink and settle your stomach," Carrow clucked as she got up to do just that. Merlin blinked, about to protest that his stomach felt fine. It was the rest of him that felt as if he'd just… fell into a hole filled with jagged rocks.

"Why is he all of a sudden pulling out all the stops?" Leon asked, breaking his usual silence since Merlin didn't seem to be adding anything to the conversation.

"Maybe because he knows we're getting close?" Gwaine said.

"Close to what? A magic rock?" Arthur said, looking at Merlin wearily. "You're not going to die on me after all that rubbish, are you? I literally had to climb down into that death trap to save you."

"W-why did you bother?" Merlin asked.

"Of all the stupid questions… Merlin just be grateful, alright?" Arthur snapped, getting up to 'go collect firewood,' as per his usual excuse. Merlin took a deep breath, more confused than ever. He couldn't think straight and wanted to fall asleep. After patting him on the knee (which hurt quite a bit) Gwaine followed after Arthur, which he doubted was a good idea. Carrow sat beside Merlin then and helped him sit up to drink something warm.

"It's the last of the chamomile that Arthur had packed, so don't tell him," she said.

"You always steal everything," Merlin said, struggling to get the tea down. It was somehow just the right temperature. He wondered if she had used magic.

"He wasn't using it," Carrow said, smiling at him. "Once my head settles, we'll try and fix that gash in yours. Although…" Carrow picked up Gwaine's sword, which the man had foolishly left behind (or maybe she swiped it, Merlin had no idea). She held up the blade so that Merlin could see his forehead. "I think it looks rather dashing. Maybe we'll leave a scar? You can tell the ladies _you_ dove into a sinkhole in order to save the prince."

Merlin felt blood rising to his cheeks. "You're ridiculous."

"No to the scar then?"

"Um. Well," Merlin said, reconsidering as he looking into the reflection of the sword.

"Mhmm, that's what I thought," Carrow said, putting the sword down.

"Carrow, I don't know how we're going to get rid of Keldor," Merlin said. He was actually seriously frightened now. Everywhere they turned, Keldor was suddenly there waiting for them. Every time they were separated, he managed to kill one of them. Merlin had almost died, that time he had felt it - he had felt himself let go. He should be dead.

Carrow cupped his face in her hands. "Merlin, you are _safe_ now. I will _not_ let anything happen to you. And neither will Arthur," she said. "Well, I'll let something happen to you and then… fix it, it any case." He smiled at her reluctantly, and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Arthur hates me, still. We can't do anything if he doesn't trust me," Merlin said.

"He doesn't hate you. He's still angry and it will take a hell of a long time before you can mend that bridge, but you should have seen him. He completely forgot about how angry he was - if only for a moment. It was rather adorable. Or at least it would have been if I hadn't been up in arms over the whole thing," Carrow said. Merlin sighed, and leaned back in the makeshift bed that they had placed him in.

"Wasn't kidding, love, you really can't go to sleep," she said, pinching his arm as he tried to go to sleep.

##

_So uh, I don't have anything longwinded like last time, though I'm really curious as to what you all think. I'm trying not to just gloss over Arthur and Merlin's broken relationship so hopefully this is all as realistic as possible. Though I love to hear if you think I've done something out of character, cause I'll try and fix it! Thanks for reading!_


	13. Chapter 13: Gimme Sympathy

Chapter 13: _Gimme Sympathy_

##

The golden ring buzzed with warmth in Merlin's hand as the group entered a very large and well kept tavern the following evening. They had left early, once Carrow had helped Merlin put himself to rights, but there had been a bit of delay due to murky terrain. They had to take a detour around a marsh because there didn't seem any direct path _through_ it. Though Arthur had certainly tried - he had walked into the inn stinking of bog and filth after stubbornly insisting that the ground wouldn't give way, only to fall right in. The place was already roaring with life as women rushed about serving drinks and meals to their patrons.

"Dearest prince, I beg you to get us a room so you can have a bath," Carrow said, walking past Arthur and getting a nice fresh whiff of him. Arthur scowled at her, but lifted his arm to smell himself and wrinkled his nose in disdain.

"Right, well, fine. Bastard's supposed to be here somewhere anyway," Arthur said smugly, heading towards the bar.

"Man's got good taste. Which one of 'em is he?" Gwaine said, surveying the place. Merlin rolled the ring over in his hand, trying to concentrate. He was glad the place was so busy that no one really seemed to notice them.

"He's going to be up in one of the rooms, I think," Merlin said as his eyes cleared.

"It's early," Carrow remarked, "Hope we don't walk in on him doing anything inappropriate." Merlin could hear the glee in her voice as she practically pranced towards the staircase. Merlin quirked an eyebrow at Gwaine who was wearing an amused grin. The rogue followed Carrow and Arthur came back around.

"I've booked us two rooms… where are they going?" Arthur said, looking after them with quite a perturbed look on his face.

"Well, Carrow's probably going to slam into every room unannounced and I imagine that Gwaine's going to watch," Merlin said. "Gerrard's upstairs, but I think it'll be difficult to discern which room."

"Fantastic, this'll end well," Arthur said, glaring at Merlin as though it were his fault. "The barkeep said he didn't hear of anyone by the name Gerrard, so he must have had sense enough to change it."

Merlin nodded. "Well the ring says he's here."

"Right, well, come on then," Arthur said. Merlin wiped his nose as the prince passed, he stunk of rotten eggs and rancid meat. Arthur went after them, nearly unseating an irate looking patron with dark stringy hair in his hurry. Merlin apologized for Arthur as he passed. He had to remind himself not to presume anything about Arthur's mood. Carrow had advised him that just because he had fallen back into his usual forcibly proper demeanor, it didn't mean it was all water under the bridge. He was still feeling like a small and pathetic little boy underneath it all. Carrow's words, of course. Merlin took this to mean he ought not push his luck.

He followed up the stairs and heard several shouts as he did so. The place was bigger than it looked on the outside. Everything done in a rich, dark wood. The town of Kidwelly was prosperous, lively and just on the edge of a river, making it a center for merchants and trade. Merlin had never been there before, but Arthur had and he was worried about being recognized. He thought Arthur was beginning to enjoy his anonymity, once he'd gotten over the shock of how rude some people could be to travelers.

Regardless, so long Arthur smelled like dead fish and stayed covered in murk, Merlin thought his identity would remain unknown.

He followed the shout and then one very high pitched scream caught his ears, making him wince. Carrow probably shouldn't have been doing this, Merlin knew, but who was he to spoil her fun? Rather, he couldn't think of a quicker way to get results. Safer ways, certainly - but none quicker.

"So sorry, Miss, just lookin' for a… Someone underneath there?" Carrow asked. She had her blunt sword out and Merlin saw her disappear into a room at the far end, Arthur and Gwaine following in after her.

"Do you think he's going to be hiding in plain sight like this, really?" Leon said, coming up behind Merlin.

"Well he probably doesn't know anyone's after him," Merlin said. He glanced behind Leon to be sure no one was following up on the angry shouts. The noise from the bar was so loud that it very nearly drowned it out, though there were a few people poking their heads out of the rooms with disgruntled looks on their faces.

"Sorry, everyone," Merlin offered sheepishly. Leon stayed behind to soothe them, he could see that someone was already threatening to go to one of the town guards to report a domestic disturbance.

"Merlin, get over here!" Arthur called. Merlin gave Leon an apologetic look and tripped over his own feet as he tried to get to Carrow, Gwaine, and Arthur.

Stumbling into the room, he grabbed the edge of the door frame to steady himself and looked in. The rooms of the inn were not large and Merlin felt quite claustrophobic indeed. He thought his room back at the castle was twice as large. The bed looked comfy, though an emaciated young woman didn't look as though she would agree at the moment. She hugged the blankets up over her and Merlin saw that someone was flinging clothes up in the air. Merlin also noticed a twitching lump at the foot of the bed.

"Here you are, love, put that on and get out - turn around, you cretins," Carrow quipped at the boys, putting her hands roughly over Gwaine's eyes.

"W-why are you doin' this? Merrick en't done nothin' wrong!" she said. "He paid me!"

"Oh a real lady's man, how romantic, take notes, lads," Carrow crowed. "Get out or you'll join 'im."

Merlin heard a shuffling as the woman clothed herself, he and Arthur had obediently found a spot on the opposite wall to concentrate on.

"Are you even sure that lump _is_ Gerrard?" Merlin asked as the woman swept by him and he thought he could turn around.

"W-who's Gerrard? No Gerrard here - what the hell do you people want?" the lump sputtered, trying to escape from the blankets. Carrow yanked them all off of him in one gruff pull and a thin, ginger haired man fell to the floor, completely naked.

"Ginger, just like Risa. Same blue eyes as Ealden. Bit more dapper though," Carrow said, taking her hands away from Gwaine's face and raising an eyebrow at the man's bare backside. It was Gwaine's turn to cover Carrow's eyes, but she wouldn't have any of it.

Arthur bent down and grabbed a pair of trousers from the floor, flinging them at the man.

"Merlin, show him the ring," Arthur said. Merlin fished around in his pocket to produce the gaudy golden ring. The naked man's eyes widened very briefly and he opened his mouth, but closed it again..

"Um, what's that?" he asked finally, feigning innocence. Merlin's eyes flashed gold and the ring grew very hot in his palm. He was sure that this was the ring's owner.

"Where's the stone, Gerrard?" Arthur said, his tone commanding and positively stately. Merlin, however, was a bit confused. He had been under the impression that Gerrard would be… imposing. This man was anything but, sitting there uncomfortably on the floor. He looked like he was searching for a plausible lie. He hadn't made a move to put the pants on, either. Merlin didn't see the stone, which he had assumed would be around his neck.

"Sorry, gents. No stone here. Just a forlorn man at the end of his rope trying to enjoy a morose evening with one of the local girls," Gerrard said loftily. He didn't honestly seem all that concerned with his situation.

"Oh my giddy aunt - you've got it here somewhere," Gwaine said, rolling his eyes and moving to rifle through the man's things. Gerrard crossed his legs and Merlin winced at the sight.

"For godsake, put your bloody pants on, man," Arthur said. Carrow seemed to be trying to hold back a laugh. Merlin went to help Gwaine look through the man's things. Meanwhile Gerrard stood up and slipped the pants on.

"You are quite underwhelming, love," Carrow said, edging toward him and poking his back with the end of her sword.

"Ouch, watch it! My you're a ghastly thing, aren't you?" Gerrard said, taking Carrow in.

"Thank you, Gerry," Carrow said, smiling primly, taking it as some sort of compliment. Merlin wasn't surprised by this, Carrow seemed to prefer being feared than revered like most women.

"What did you do with the stone?" Arthur said, sighing heavily. The prince sounded as though he might snap at any moment. Merlin didn't blame him, he almost would have preferred a fight to the death with the supposed druid. This was most anticlimactic.

"Who are you, then?" Gerrard asked. "And how did you come by my ring - I thought I left it to my niece. Oh. _Oh_." The ginger haired man rubbed his temple as he put the pieces together.

"Ealden told us of your miraculous escape and how you put your own family into a nightmarish state just to steal the stone. Not to mention the fact that you raped one of the women in town before you left," Merlin said.

"Well I had to, didn't I? They were going to sell it to some harpy! And hold on, hold on - I did _what?_ I didn't rape anyone! Why the hell would I need to do such a thing?" Gerrard said, his incredulity the first thing that Merlin thought he might believe.

"The townsfolk seem to think otherwise," Gwaine said.

"Wait, you're talking about Katherine. That lovely little trollop… She just said that so that she wouldn't be in trouble with her husband. Burly man, fist like a ham," Gerrard said, sitting down on the bed. "But I didn't hurt her. I'm not an _animal_. Not like you people. Bursting into people's rooms, brandishing swords… it's not decent."

"Right, just a thief then?" Arthur said.

"God no. I'm a writer. Or at least I was at some point, until things got a little foggy - the past couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur. You're not going to kill me are you?" Gerrard said. Merlin glanced at Arthur who looked altogether undecided on the matter. Though Merlin was willing to bet the prince would have probably been in the mood to run the man through at this point. Merlin was getting a bit irritated as well.

"Tell us where the stone is and I'll think about sparing you," Arthur said. Merlin knew damn well that Arthur would do no such thing. He'd probably turn the man over to the proper authorities once he answered his question. Merlin thought that was more than fair given the circumstances.

"Might I then at least know the identity of my murderers?" Gerrard said, bending down to grab a shirt from the floor. Arthur unsheathed his sword and touched its tip underneath the man's neck.

"Prince Arthur of Camelot."

"Oh really? And I'm Sir William Wallace, charmed I'm sure," Gerrard said, grinning. Not only did he not believe Arthur, but he didn't believe he was going to die - but of course he wasn't, not until he'd answered their question. Which he was certainly going to take his sweet time doing. He had the leverage here. Or so he thought.

"Sire," Leon said, entering behind Merlin and dragging Gerrard's prostitute in with him. She was struggling angrily, but Leon didn't take much notice. "I caught this one in the hallway - this was swinging from her wrist."

"Bravo, Lucy, absolutely fantastic," Gerrard said, rolling his eyes at the woman. Leon produced a deep amber stone hanging from a dull iron chain, letting it swing there for a moment for them to get a look at.

With the reentry of Lucy and Leon here, the room was getting quite stuffy indeed. Leon handed the stone to Arthur, who took it gratefully, glaring at Gerrard.

"Sorry, Merrick. You've got your rock, let me go you big oaf!" She didn't sound terribly sorry and Merlin was under the impression that she didn't have a clue what was going on. She wrenched her arm out of Leon's hand.

"Leon, would you take her down to the bar? Buy her a drink and make sure she doesn't run off. We may need her," Arthur said. Merlin wasn't quite sure what the hell they'd need the woman for, but then if Gerrard wasn't in the mood to answer truthfully, perhaps his companion might be.

Leon nodded graciously and grabbed the woman again, who was still kicking up a fuss over the whole thing. "Hold on, Leon - I'm coming with. Gettin' a bit cramped in here. You lot don't need me for an interrogation. Carrow, love, try not to get any on the sheets," Gwaine said, before slipping out the door with Leon. Merlin envied him. He would have liked to skip this procession entirely as well, but he supposed he ought to be there. The stone dealt with magic and that was his area.

Carrow seemed to take Gwaine's words as a challenge and inched closer towards Gerrard, who saw the move and edged toward the other end of the bed. A self satisfied smirk found its way to Carrow's lips. She did enjoy terrifying people. It helped that she was good at it. Merlin didn't wonder whether she had taken to the scars on her face, by this time he _knew_ she enjoyed them. They forced people to take her seriously.

"Carrow, you're not helping," Arthur said.

"You heard the prune. Back, foul beast!" Gerrard said. Merlin couldn't tell if he was joking or not. He wondered if Gerrard was really a druid, half or any. He thought maybe at best he was an eccentric magician. Gerrard sighed, "Listen, if all you want is the stone - have it. It's gotten me nothing but trouble. What were you planning on doing with it anyway. Sharing it?" The way he said it gave Merlin the impression that he knew more than he was saying. There was a mischievous glint in the man's eyes that unsettled him.

"Tell us how it works," Arthur said, disregarding his question.

"Easy enough. You wear it. As long as you're wearing it, any mortal wound you might sustain will heal after a few minutes and voila, you're back in business. Believe me, I've died at least half a dozen times since I came across it - trying to test the limits, of course. I don't know if it keeps you from aging necessarily, I just know it keeps you alive," Gerrard said quite freely. Merlin supposed the fact that both Arthur and Carrow were pointing their swords at him made him think twice about continuing with his games

"Finally something working in our favor," Merlin said, glancing at the stone in Arthur's hand.

"Hmm," Carrow muttered, she had sat down on the bed and Merlin could see the wheels in her head were turning. She had that far away look again. She looked up then, and said, "Gerry, you've been loads of help. Arthur can I see that?" Arthur hesitated, but handed her the amulet.

In a movement so quick that Merlin barely noticed, Carrow threw the amulet around Gerrard's neck and then proceeded to stab him in the gut with her blunted sword.

"What the hell are you doing?" Arthur shouted at her, rushing to Gerrard's side.

"Hold on, Arthur," Merlin said, his heart racing at the sight of blood seeping into the sheets.

"He's dead!" Arthur said, feeling for a pulse.

"Precisely," Carrow muttered, yanking the sword out of Gerrard's gut ceremoniously.

"Great, we know he was either lying or the stone just doesn't work!" Arthur said throwing his hands up.

"He said it took a minute," Merlin said. Arthur let out an irritable sigh, but decided against touching Gerrard. Merlin's eyes didn't leave the man's wound, which had been bubbling under the cream colored tunic he'd thrown on. Several minutes ticked by and the bubbling slowed.

"This bastard's dead," Arthur said, glaring at Carrow who was staring at the wound as well.

The blood stopped seeping out altogether, and Merlin leaned in closer to see that the wound had already set to mending itself. Gerrard sputtered and coughed, making Merlin flinch away from him.

"Do you know how much that _stings_?" he said, trying to sit up, clenching his stomach as the wound closed entirely. "Especially a blunt sword - what do you mean by harboring such a beast?" He looked at Carrow incredulously, but she just had the widest of smiles on her face. She had wanted to be sure he was telling the truth, and now she was. "You lot are going to pay for this mess."

Arthur snorted and went to grab the amulet from around his neck. Gerrard struggled slightly, but his heart didn't seem to be in it. Arthur looked at the amulet for a moment and then looked at Merlin.

"Merlin, keep an eye on this. I'm sick of you nearly dying," Arthur said, tossing the amulet to Merlin, who caught it in surprise. He smiled at Arthur, who even managed to return it - however briefly, before he realized what he was doing. Carrow wasn't paying attention, she was looking at Gerrard questionably, as though he were a meal.

"You're a druid,"she said.

"Half. On mum's side," he said.

"What were you lot doing with the amulet?" Carrow said.

"I told you, taking it to some wretched harpy who was going to put it in a shrine for safe keeping. Think of it! Storing such a precious artifact in a damn hole in the ground. Not right," Gerrard said. He had begun wiping a bit of the blood that had dribbled down his chin off on the sheets. Merlin didn't understand how he didn't look remotely frightened. "You aren't going to destroy it," he said, pausing to look at Arthur, "What are you planning on doing with it?"

"We're trying to trap a dark sorcerer with it. He practices necromancy and he's been tormenting spirits for ages, so we want him alive and incapacitated," Merlin said. Arthur glared at him after that, as though he hadn't wanted to say. But Merlin thought a shifty bastard like Gerrard might actually know a thing or two about this. In spite of how they had come by him, he seemed intelligent.

"You're talking about Keldor, aren't you?" Gerrard said, mouth curving into a sneer.

"How do you know about Keldor," Carrow spat, shoving her sword back towards Gerrard's gut. Arthur put a hand on her arm, his gaze telling her to calm down.

"He's been coming to me in my dreams. Nightmares really. I knew you lot were after me, though to be honest I was expecting you a few days ago," Gerrard said, grinning as though this was all some big joke. He actually reminded Merlin a bit of how Carrow liked to behave when they first met: withholding. But Carrow had done it in such a way that Merlin always felt like she was on _their_ side. Gerrard was on no one's side.

"So why all this dicking around with us?" Arthur asked.

He shrugged. "She's a clever one. Heinous, but clever," he said, pointing at Carrow. "Bring him back to the physical realm by offering herself up as his totem - then one of you choke him with the amulet while your sorcerer conjures up some kind of trap. I like it. It's got… unity. Thing is, you don't know how you're going to _trap _him."

"He told you all this in your dream?"

"Not really. He knows about the amulet, of course, but he thinks I'll have stopped you. I didn't want you to have the amulet, but now that you do - let's just say I want this bastard to stay out of my head," Gerrard said. Merlin's eyes narrowed.

"Oh well, that's enough for me. Let's invite him to join our merry band and turn our backs one second so that he might _kill_ us," Arthur said throwing his hands up in the air. "I'll just call up the authorities now, shall I?"

"Hold on, prince," Carrow said, putting a hand up to Arthur. She turned to Gerrard. "Are you insinuating that you _know_ of a way we can trap Keldor?" Carrow asked. Arthur looked none too pleased. Of course, Merlin happened to agree. He didn't want to have to work with Gerrard either.

"Perhaps. I dabbled in necromancy ages ago. Though as unsavory a person as I may be, I never had the stones for murder - and that's the only way that sort of twisted magic works. But that's the thing about necromancy and murder. The spilling of an innocent - it touches you down to your soul, soils it, taints it - leaves a scar. You don't feel it, don't even know it's there. But Keldor? He has flayed his own soul alive and burned it with the magic," Gerrard said. Merlin pursed his lips. "It'll make him much weaker when he does regain a physical form. Which works in your favor."

"Why should we believe you?" Merlin said.

"Doesn't really matter. All I want is to walk out of here a free man, head free of ghosts. I don't think you'll allow that if I don't offer leverage. You let me go free after all is said and done, I'll help you get rid of the bastard. Forever. I promise you that," Gerrard said.

"How's that then?" Carrow harped.

"Have you heard of the Shrine of Adheman?" Gerrard said. "No, of course not. We druids keep things like that secret. We horde our relics and hide them so they may not be used - dangerous objects like the amulet. Which I think is ridiculous. I mean why create such wonderful things if we just hide them? Druids are somewhat silly, in my humble opinion. But yes, Adheman is all but in ruins now. But there lies an orb there in which you can store a person's magic-"

"But you can store a person's magic in anything. I was planning on doing such a thing to you," Merlin said, surprised at his own gumption. Arthur raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, but magic is very personal, very specific. It's like trying to switch a person's heart. It knows it doesn't belong, is in a foreign container. And it will _fight_ to get out. But this orb can store magic for any length of time and it can contain it. Then all you would need to do was slip the amulet around his neck and… bury him alive or you could turn him into a statue, plant him in the castle gardens, whatever tickles your fancy. He wouldn't be able to do anything and he wouldn't be able to contact his undead army. Problem solved."

Merlin felt this sounded both difficult and simple at the same time.

"Well I like it. I don't believe a word of it, but I like it," Carrow said, she had tightened her grip on her sword and Arthur was looking at her wearily. Merlin's head began to throb as he tried to think this over.

####

"You alright?" Gwaine looked at Leon, offering up a smile.

"Grand, mate. Just a headache," Gwaine said, rubbing his head. He took a drink of his ale and glanced at the impatient young woman on the other side of Leon. She had not tried to get away from them, it seemed to Gwaine that she had been in this situation before and he suddenly felt bad for her. He didn't think she had much to do with the idiot upstairs. Wrong place, wrong time. He'd certainly fell victim to that often enough. At the moment, he considered the bar at Loxley to be one of those times.

Not that he didn't want to help Merlin, but he was growing very tired indeed of the ghosts. Had he not gone to Loxley, he probably wouldn't have enticed them and Sara would not have leeched on to him. He also wouldn't have run into Merlin at all and subsequently not met Carrow.

Come to think of it though, he hadn't actually dreamt of Sara last night, but Bryant. Perhaps because he was the last to see the knight. He hadn't really thought one way or the other of the man the short time he'd known him, but now he felt the man must have been petty indeed to play for Keldor. The dream had been muddled and hectic, not as clear as the ones Sara had plagued him with. He prayed that it wasn't to be a repeat this evening. He worried about Thomas's warning, that Sara had been dealt with by Keldor. The poor woman had only been trying to help. For that she'd been thrown into a worse hell than he could probably imagine.

He'd give Merlin one thing, the little bastard certainly knew how to make life interesting. Gwaine nursed his drink, wondering how long it would take the others to deal with Gerry.

"Can I ask you a question?" Leon asked suddenly.

"Shoot," Gwaine said, slightly surprised.

"Why do you come with us? Is it the witch or the prince?"

"I started because of Merlin," Gwaine said, taking a drink. "But at this point it may just be because I'm stubborn. I'm not goin' to be beaten down by a bunch of transparent bastards who like playing mind games. And yeah, maybe the witch, too. What about you? Aside from, you know, it bein' your job and all."

"I think the prince is a good man. At least I think he's getting there. I think he just needs to open his eyes a bit sometimes. He gets his ignorance from his father, but the way he treats Merlin and Carrow… he's fighting really hard not to let those traits become him," Leon said thoughtfully. Gwaine was surprised and suddenly felt a bit bad about thinking the knight vacant. He certainly saw more than he let on, he wasn't one of those men who followed blindly because it was their duty. Leon did truly respect Arthur. And while the past couple days didn't exactly work in Arthur's favor, Gwaine could see why such a man like Leon _would_ favor Arthur. Arthur was certainly better than his oblivious father, not that that was all that difficult to be.

"Leon, anyone ever tell you that you're kind of a marshmallow?" Gwaine said.

Leon gave him a small smile, before his eyes were drawn to the stairs as Carrow came down alone. She had blood down her front and a scowl on her face. Gwaine got to his feet, slamming his tankard on the bar, and went to her.

"You alright? What the hell happened? I didn't mean it an invitation earlier!" Gwaine said incredulously, looking to see if she was hurt.

"Relax, it's not mine," Carrow said.

"It's Merrick's?" Lucy the prostitute said, as she saw Carrow's shirt. She sounded worried, which surprised Gwaine. He didn't think she had put much stock in the prick's survival. Carrow frowned at Lucy's concern as well, but decided to ignore her entirely. The witch always enjoyed dancing around answers, which both irritated and excited Gwaine, but she was quite direct with he and Leon about what had gone on up in the room.

"So in exchange for his freedom, he'll tell us about some secret druidic way to get rid of Keldor? That doesn't sound like a trap at all," Gwaine said sarcastically, shaking his head and having a seat at the bar.

"Yes. Unfortunately, Leon, Arthur wants you upstairs - I don't know but I think he's going to put you on guard duty. Merlin's working some sort of spell that is actually a bit over my head that will keep him from runnin' off. I was close to stabbing Gerry sans amulet so Arthur made me leave," Carrow said.

"That's my girl," Gwaine said, grinning and ordering the witch a drink. "Did Arthur say what he wanted us to do with her?" Gwaine jerked his thumb at Lucy.

Carrow frowned at Lucy as if she'd forgotten the girl entirely. Putting her elbow on the bar, she leaned on it and raised an eyebrow. "You know I think we could let her go."

"That's fantastic, because I've actually got an appointment around ten," Lucy said, jumping up. Carrow quickly hooked a finger into the woman's gown.

"Not so fast there, Luc," she said. "What did "Merrick" tell you about that stone he had you smuggle out?"

"Nothin'. He paid me to take it out if we were… interrupted. I swear, it's just an ugly necklace far as I'm concerned," she said. Carrow frowned at her for a moment, peering into the woman's eyes eerily. Gwaine got the feeling she was trying spook the girl. He rolled his eyes and put a hand on Carrow's shoulder.

"I think you've done enough damage for tonight, love," he told her.

"Alright," Carrow said, sighing melodramatically. "You have fun tonight, girlie. Just because it's work doesn't mean one can't _enjoy_ oneself."

"You haven't seen Mister Delves," Lucy said, snorting and sauntering away.

Carrow grimaced and turned her head to Gwaine. "Yes, the Mister Delveses of the world was precisely why I couldn't go into prostitution. Not that that's an option anymore."

"Why wouldn't it be an option?" Gwaine asked, grinning suggestively at her.

"These make great for scare tactics, but not so good for the bedroom," she said, gesturing to her face theatrically. Gwaine rolled his eyes. Gwaine was shameless enough to admit that at first he had seen Carrow as a bit garish. But the longer he was with her, the scars seemed to fade. They were part of her charm.

He ran a hand down her scarred cheek, "I don't know. I think they become you."

"That was terrible. Absolutely awful," she said, snorting at him. Pursuing Carrow was proving to be absolutely tricky. She hadn't allowed him to kiss her since the first one, but he got the sense it wasn't that she didn't want him - there were other things on her mind. For instance, the fact that her son had taken it upon himself to be their new incorporeal guide. He knew she didn't like that, even if she hadn't mentioned it. Gwaine could easily sense what was going on with Merlin or Arthur - their emotions were right on their sleeves, but Carrow was a closed book. Everything about her was like she was putting on a show, but she wasn't even the main character. She was the one who helped the rest of them learn their lines.

Gwaine sighed. "Why did you leave Arthur and Merlin alone with him?"

"I sent Leon after them," Carrow said.

"Yes, but in spite of his good intentions, Leon is not the best buffer. And I don't think Gerry will do anything but induce more psychological tension," Gwaine replied.

"Arthur and Merlin will be fine. They are both irritated enough with Gerry to unite against him, anyway," she said, shrugging and sipping at her drink daintily.

"Do we trust Gerry?" Gwaine asked.

"Not as far as Merlin could throw him," Carrow said. "But the man's conniving and clever. I think we have to take a chance on him. In any case, he's not exactly threatening. Merlin's making sure of that now." Gwaine thought about Arthur witnessing Merlin performing more magic and didn't think it was a good idea.

The magic made _him_ slightly uncomfortable, but Arthur had been predisposed from birth to hate the stuff and stamp it out with a vengeance. Leon was right, the prince was probably having a far more difficult time with it than them. Regardless, Gwaine didn't think it excused the prince's immature behavior towards his servant the past two days. Maybe he was biased though - after all, Merlin was his best friend, besides that he could still feel where that arrow had pierced his lung - a gentle reminder that without Merlin (and Carrow) he would be dead.

"I think Keldor's endeavor to kill Merlin backfired on him. If it hadn't happened, the prince would have continued to isolate himself from us," Carrow said. "I don't know about you, but the thought rather tickles me."

Gwaine's expression warmed at her and he kissed her on the forehead.

####

Arthur nodded at Leon who had quietly entered the room again. He was glad Carrow had listened when he'd ordered her from the room. She was cumbersomely hostile sometimes and he was surprised no one had come in asking after all the strange noises. But then he assumed Leon had taken care of that.

"You're not serious about _binding_ me, are you?" Gerrard whined. Arthur honestly didn't understand the concept and wasn't sure that Merlin did, either. Merlin was powerful, any idiot could see that, but even Arthur could see that Merlin was still learning. Carrow had said that they shouldn't be playing around with binding spells, but she didn't condemn the idea.

"Yes. We need you complacent. You're a bit of a lying twat at the moment," Arthur said. He glanced at Merlin, who was fumbling with the man's ring. Arthur's anger towards Merlin had not entirely dissipated, but he was getting a handle on it. He knew he was his father's son, that his prejudice towards magic was something he would be, for a long time, trying to get over - so he understood that Merlin would have been a fool to advertise his abilities.

He decided what had irritated him the most was the idea that Merlin couldn't trust him. Well, that and the fact that Merlin had made him feel like a complete imbecile.

"How does this work?" Arthur asked, coming up to Merlin.

"Well, I bind his likeness to the ring - it's easier since the ring happens to be _his_. Then I just curse it so that he's unable to use magic," Merlin said, hesitantly.

"Doesn't sound like you've done this before," Arthur said, raising an eyebrow.

"No. I'm not in the business of cursing people," Merlin said. "But I have read a lot about it. I came across this one back when your father was enchanted by that troll." Arthur flinched at the memory. His father had forbidden talk of it in the castle and Arthur still hadn't decided whether the whole thing was hilarious or positively embarrassing. Of course it was both. "I had to find out how to break the enchantment - learned a lot of new things during that… fiasco."

Arthur nodded, realizing that Merlin had been the only reason that he wasn't still calling the troll mummy dearest. Thinking about these things, he grew angry again. But not at Merlin, at himself. He shook his head.

"And what, he wears it? What's to keep him from taking it off?" Arthur asked.

"That's part of the _binding_ bit, Arthur. He'll wear the ring and he won't be able to use magic until I remove it," Merlin said.

"Which!" Gerrard said, "I wouldn't _do_ anyway. I'm on your side, gents!" Arthur snorted.

"You're on _your_ side," Arthur said.

"Well, yes… which happens to be you adjacent," Gerry replied. Merlin's eyes glowed then, and he spoke a few more lines of gobbledegook. The ring glowed red and then darkened.

"That should do it," Merlin said. His servant looked at Gerry, who had just taken the liberty to sit on his own hands.

"Please don't do this? Think how you'd feel if you couldn't do magic!" Gerry said, appealing to Merlin. Arthur motioned to Leon to hold the struggling man down while Arthur held out his hand, forcing his fingers straight. Merlin quickly put it on. The ring burned brighter still and then dulled back to its natural color, as though it had soaked up whatever magic the man had.

"Why can't we just do that to Keldor?" Arthur asked.

"Because… he's a powerful evil necromancer and I'm barely a match for that horrid little witch of yours," Gerry said grimacing at the ring and trying to wrench it off his finger, even though he knew it to be futile. "Just like this sort of thing would be useless against your friend there. Somethin' special he is. I can feel it."

Arthur looked at Merlin, who grinned sheepishly. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"And if he tries to run away, you'll be able to find him?"

"He's on a tight leash," Merlin assured Arthur.

"Meaning we can rest for the night and not worry about him slitting our throats?" Arthur said.

"Well I'd say we ought to keep watch just in case, but I feel relatively safe here, yeah," Merlin said. Arthur sighed with relief. He wanted nothing more than a bath and a bed right now.

"Good, tomorrow we'll head out to the shrine the prat mentioned, get the orb, and then get rid of him," Arthur said.

"By get rid of, you mean -"

"Let you go, yes," Arthur said, waving the man off irritably. Gerrard sat back, seemingly pacified. Arthur was already regretting the promise. He did not think he was harmless, but he didn't necessarily want to break his word. He supposed they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

"Fine. Leon, I really hate to ask you this… but could you… keep an eye on him? Just for a couple hours and then Gwaine or I will relieve you," Arthur said. Leon nodded and Arthur thought to insist upon giving him some sort of raise. He knew that it was Leon's duty to follow orders, but Leon's loyalty always went beyond that and Arthur was grateful. Besides that, at least with Leon there were no surprises.

Arthur patted Leon on the shoulder as he left the room. "I'll have someone bring up clean linens and a meal for you," he said as he left. Merlin following meekly after him.

Arthur paused in the hallway, turning to Merlin. "You think you can keep that thing safe for the rest of the trip?"

"Yes. Though I think it'd be better if you wore it. Despite what you think, you're life hangs in the balance far more often than mine does," Merlin said. "Besides, how do you think the King would react if Leon and I show up back to Camelot without you?"

"I'm sure you'd be flogged," Arthur said. "I'd come back as a ghost so that I could watch."

Merlin grinned, but opened his mouth to argue.

"Merlin, if it makes you feel better, we'll take turns," Arthur said, cutting him off.

"Thanks Arthur," Merlin said.

"For what?"

"Pulling me out of that sinkhole."

Arthur rolled his eyes and turned toward the stairs. "Don't mention it. Seriously - don't."

##

_So this chapter took me forever. There's actually an entirely different version in which everything is annoying and melodramatic - it just didn't feel like me, so I trashed it. That's part of the reason why this took so long to get out. I don't know that I'm one hundred percent pleased with this, but I still like it. Thank you all for your lovely reviews and enthusiasm! I always love hearing your thoughts!_


	14. Chapter 14: The Snake Pit

Chapter 14: _The Snake Pit_

##

Merlin scratched absently at his chest. He had hidden the stone underneath his maroon tunic and he felt it had bequeathed him not with immortality but some sort of rash. He desired to get rid of it or complain, but he didn't think it would behoove him to do so with the rest of the band trudging quite irritably behind Gerry. It was as though the itch were simply to remind of something he already _knew_, but couldn't quite put his finger on. It was driving him mad, too.

They had left the merry inn quite early the morning following their stay. He hadn't slept well, even though the conditions were more than adequate. He didn't dream but his sleep had been fitful, Arthur had woken twice in the night to reprimand him for it. He was sure it only had to do with the dread he felt about their quest - which never seemed to go as planned. He didn't trust Gerry, though none of them did, he hated that the druid (if you could call him that) was their only remaining option. Merlin desperately wished they could have thrown him in a dungeon somewhere, but he couldn't think of anything better.

The knave had insisted the shrine of Adheman was only a few short days ride. Arthur had been low on funds and thus had to invoke his identity as Prince to acquire them all horses. He had been loathe to do so, but there was no way around it.

They rode for two days, stopping only to rest. The weather was moderately uncooperative as most of their trip was spent in a deluge, but it cleared by the third day. Though still cloudy, Merlin thought those clouds no longer threatened to drown them. He hoped that, as the incessantly chatty Gerry predicted, they would soon be upon the Shrine of Adheman.

"Why so ill at ease, Merly?" Carrow said, trotting up beside him. Leave it to the witch to notice something be off with him. He could easily be made to forget how perceptive she was, the way she flitted about with that glazed over look on her face.

"What do you mean, Carrow?" he said, adding a smile.

"Well, for one, you have completely neglected our discourse on why certain self entitled nobles are so crotchety in the morning," she said, putting on airs. "And for another I am not an idiot." Her horse was now trotting backwards so that she could see him properly and the effect made it appear as though she had bewitched the poor animal.

"Would you stop doing that?" Merlin said. "You're going to run into something."

"Don't be evasive, little wizard, what is it?" Carrow said, reluctantly turning the horse around. Gwaine, Arthur, and Leon had moved ahead with Gerry sharing Gwaine's horse. Though they had all flipped for it. Carrow had offered to let him ride with her, but Gerry had made quite a fuss. Merlin supposed it _would_ have been a touch traumatic to ride with a woman who would kill you without a thought. Had Carrow thought about it? Merlin did wonder…

"Honestly, it's nothing. Just tired. Lot on my mind," Merlin said, shrugging at her.

"En't that the truth!" Carrow said, making up her mind not to press the matter. Her expression darkened on him briefly, but she left him to his thoughts likely in order to peruse her own.

Merlin was not sure about the stone. He liked the plan in theory, but the odds of it being carried out in exactly that order were just so slim. Nothing was easy. But it wasn't just that which had him worried. What if the impossible occurred and they actually succeeded? His anxieties the night previous had not been of Keldor or Thomas or Bryant or any other ghosts of the past. His worries were of the future.

Arthur may have diffused a lot of his anger towards Merlin, but he could still feel an iciness that would likely be there for quite a while to come. The prince was entirely loyal to his father, fiercely so. Arthur may not have always agreed with Uther, but he respected the man and loved him. Merlin did not see Arthur making an exception for his servant. In fact, he was certain the only reason Arthur had not sent him away was due to the undeniable need for his magic at present. What happened when this was over and he was no longer needed for the foreseeable future? How would he protect Arthur if the prince banished him from the kingdom?

"You been getting any more informative nightmares from a certain necromancer, Gerry?" Gwaine said, breaking Merlin from his thoughts. He urged his horse to trot a bit faster to catch up to the rogue.

"Yes, he's been telling me all his dirty secrets. He's allergic to garlic, by the by," Gerry said sardonically.

"I'm curious, _why_ have you not simply tied him to the horse and let him drag behind?" Carrow said.

"Because then he'd be moanin' the whole way, wouldn't you?" Gwaine replied.

"What about _you_, harpy? Have you anything more to say on the matter of Keldor? I know you have not been exempt from his haunting vagaries!" Gerry said, giving Carrow the evil eye. The way he spoke was very often irritating, writer indeed. The scoundrel was longwinded and obscure, it was no wonder that Arthur and Leon had chosen to ignore him. Carrow, it seemed, could never do that. Merlin noticed she, more than any of them, enjoyed tormenting him. And he her.

"_Do_ you get nightmares?" Gwaine asked Carrow.

"Is that it, in the distance, do you think, Arthur?" The witch said, galloping forward to ride with Leon and Arthur, ignoring Gwaine's question. A fairly reasonable one. Carrow had not complained of nightmares. But Carrow rarely complained of anything of more substance than sore feet or dry fish. She kept herself to herself, and yet always made it her business to know everything of everyone else.

"You think she'll ever open up?" Gwaine said, tone a touch despondent.

"No. The she-devil is full of secrets. If I were you, I'd fasten my attentions elsewhere, mate," Gerry said, involving himself in a conversation where he was not wanted, as per usual.

Merlin scowled at Gerry. "Carrow's just being… Carrow. I just think she doesn't want to burden us with what she sees. I'm sure it is of her son. She's focused - this is her last chance for finding redemption. Once we've put Keldor behind us -"

"Fat chance, of course," Gerry interrupted.

"Would you like me to gag you again?" Gwaine offered. "Because nothing would make me happier. Honestly, Merlin, I could cheerfully strangle him - the shrine does happen to be in the distance there, what do we need him for?"

"He has absolutely no clue how to use it though," Gerry reassured Gwaine. Merlin sighed, thinking that he could certainly figure it out given the time to try. Trial and error was very often how he persuaded _anything_ to work. Still, he knew now wasn't the time to be rid of the irritating little cad.

"Relax, Gwaine. We'll be there by the end of the day and we can chain him to a tree somewhere. It'll be grand," Merlin said. Gwaine did seem a bit pacified by the idea.

####

"We'll have to walk the rest of the way. The horses won't be able to cross here," Arthur said as he got down from his horse. He unloaded his pack from its back. They had come to a rough pass. The shrine, though tall and more extravagant than Arthur had anticipated, seemed to have been built in a crumbling ravine. Leave it to druids to make things unnecessarily difficult. They would have to carefully climb down into the place, avoiding crumbling rocks and probably snakes.

"There used to be stairs," Gerry muttered, looking at the ravine distastefully. "How about I stay here with your attack dog and you go and retrieve the orb?" It was Leon's turn to cast Gerry a look of disdain.

"Not a chance. In fact - you're going in first," Arthur, shoving Gerry forward. The man let out a satisfying whimper. Arthur wasn't about to let Gerry get away without a scratch. He was on edge, as they all were, awaiting some sort of trap. He didn't know that Gerry could have thought so far ahead to see himself without magic or aid, but perhaps he had somehow sent word to Keldor. Perhaps an army of ghosts was awaiting them inside the shrine.

The troupe made their way down the perilous ravine. It wasn't quite as difficult as Arthur had first imagined. The rocks jutted out in such a way that it was easy to predict where one's foot ought to be placed, handholds aplenty. The problem was that once you steadied your foot, the rock might come loose and you might end up sliding to your death.

There was a loud crumble, the sound of rocks sliding down the slope. A brief shout escaped Carrow as she lost her footing and began slipping down the slope, rocks and rubble following after her. Arthur quickly managed to latch onto her arm. She looked up at him, trying to disguise her momentary fear with a cheeky smile. "Hello there," she said.

"You alright?" Arthur asked a bit breathlessly as he drew her up into a more steady position on the side of the chasm. She nodded, her smile softening into something a bit more sincere. He liked it when she wasn't trying so hard to seem as though nothing bothered her. He'd seen that small trace of fear in her eyes. He returned the nod, breaking eye contact.

"Carrow, are you alright?" Gwaine shouted down after them.

"Good Sir Ravine is no match for me!" Carrow called back, winking at Arthur as she slid down the next couple of rocks more purposefully. Arthur shook his head and concentrated on what he was doing. It crossed his mind that perhaps Merlin could have waved a hand and made this a bit safer with some magical rope or bridge or something, but he squashed the ideas as quickly as it had occurred. He couldn't believe that it _had_ occurred to him. They didn't need magic for every tiny thing.

Arthur being left to his thoughts was hardly a good thing. The more he thought of Merlin, the more his stomach would churn. It did not suit him that Merlin could use magic. His servant - having the power to incapacitate men with a single well chosen syllable! Merlin looked and behaved in the same manner he always had, bumbling and good natured, but how could that be possible. He was very nearly a stranger now. But that fact was easy to forget upon looking at the funny eared little man, the servant he'd had by his side for over three years.

Arthur pushed the thoughts away as they came to the bottom of the ravine, the entrance to the shrine being not fifty yards away. Its decaying stone walls looked as though they had merely begun to sink and perhaps dissolve into the earth. Ivy and undergrowth weathered its foundations. They would certainly be required to move around some boulders in order to enter the place.

"What if I just stayed here and peered in through the window, I'd send you moral support via prayer," Gerry said, looking at the place wearily. That didn't reassure Arthur in the slightest, but he did get a sort of unwanted glee at the thought of Gerry entering first and being impaled by some kind of phantom. He almost felt like Carrow as he prodded Gerry forward.

"I don't know why you bother asking silly questions like that, do you just enjoy being abused?" Gwaine asked, landing with a loud thump beside him. The rogue was the most irritated with Gerry only because he'd had the chattering little whelp sitting behind him most of the ride here.

Arthur ignored the bickering and followed Merlin and Carrow towards the entrance of the shrine. Merlin had already put his hand out in a motion that, he assumed, would imbue a bit of magic to make the crumbled opening a bit wider. Arthur put his hand on his servant's shoulder.

"Merlin, don't. We can simply move a few of the boulders out of the way," he said - a bit more snappishly than he meant to. He was trying to tell himself not to be angry with Merlin, but that was going about as well as one might imagine.

"But this way's eas - " Merlin started, but Arthur glared at him. "Fine. If you want to pull a muscle doing unwarranted manual labor, who am I to stop you?"

"Who said anything about _me_ doing unwarranted manual labor?" Arthur said, crossing his arms. Merlin scowled at him and began yanking at the large rocks a bit pathetically. The sight was positively comical.

"Honestly, Merlin. You have the upper body strength of a woman," Arthur said, bending down to help. He had always meant to help, of course, but he had also wanted to watch Merlin struggle with the rest of them for a moment. Perhaps Carrow's vindictiveness was catching.

"You're a prat, you know that?" Gwaine told him.

"Quiet, you fools!" Carrow hissed suddenly. Arthur hadn't noticed her slip through the tiny hole in the side of shrine. She seemed to be standing still as a statue in the entrance hall of the place, listening for something.

"Is someone in there, do you think?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know, someone keeps talking and throwing _rocks_," she said. Arthur clenched his jaw, rolling his eyes. Still, he stopped what he was doing so that Carrow could listen. Nothing caught his ears, though, but the howl of the wind and a few chirping birds - which he thought to count as harbingers of good fortune. Or at least better fortune than the unnatural stillness he had anticipated to greet them.

Carrow then hopped around and went back towards the hole she had come, where Gerry was standing idly by watching the rest of them. She reached out and grabbed him around the collar, yanking his head in through the hole. Arthur tossed the rock he'd been holding and ran over to the two, hoping he wouldn't have to save Gerry. Carrow's face was contorted in anger - which was a rather frightening sight to behold. He couldn't recall her ever being entirely _angry_ before. She was always very much in control of herself (whimsical and eccentric though that may be).

"Carrow, what is it?" Arthur said. "You're going to snap his neck!" She had yanked the man through at an odd angle, which made Arthur wince.

"Do you have a trap waiting for us in there? Did you warn Keldor of our arrival, you sniveling little worm?" Carrow said.

There was a loud crash as Merlin used magic to remove the rest of the rocks. Arthur was too preoccupied to chide him for it. Merlin and Gwaine disappeared inside the shrine, reappearing behind Carrow.

"Carrow, love, there's nothing in here," Gwaine said. Arthur could see the two scrambling around inside.

"Why would I do that? What good would it have done me to warn Keldor about your idiotic little plan!" Gerry said, squirming to get away from Carrow. Arthur put a hand on hers, giving her a stern look to let him go. He didn't know why, but he believed Gerry. Carrow glared at him, as if she felt he was taking the moron's side.

"What is it that you heard?" Arthur said, as Carrow finally let go of Gerry. She took back her hand and quickly turned around, choosing not to answer him. She had decided to behave like a child just then and he wished to know why.

"Leon, will you watch him?" Arthur said, giving Leon an apologetic look.

"Are you sure, sire?" Leon asked.

"Yes. I don't need any… accidents," he replied. Leon nodded and put a hand on Gerry's shoulder, gripping it firmly.

"Don't worry, Sir Loquacious and I get along quite famously," Gerry said, straightening himself and rubbing his throat gingerly. "Honestly, he's unflappable. Best investment Camelot ever reared, aren't you, ya great prune?" Arthur turned then, and entered the shrine, feeling guilty indeed about saddling Leon with Gerry again. But he _had_ employed a two day break from the man. Hopefully their journey with Gerry would soon be ending.

"Arthur, hurry up," Merlin called. Arthur followed his servant's voice to a set of stairs leading down further into the shrine. They had asked Gerry who Adheman was, why he had a shrine named after him, but the shifty bastard had informed them he had no idea. Gerry was not interested in history, he said, only in useful information pertaining to powerful artifacts. _That_ Arthur certainly believed. And a part of him couldn't really blame the man.

He followed down the stairs, his heartbeat increasing a little with every step. He took care to unsheathe his sword as he went down the stairs.

As he reached the bottom stair, he found that the four of them were in a small, circular room, most of which was covered in dust and cobwebs. However they were not alone.

"Who is it?" Arthur said, raising his sword, as he peered through the darkness. Merlin finally had the sense to conjure up one of his little orb-like torches, which glowed balmily around the servant's head.

Arthur went forward, to get a better look at the man sitting before them. At least it looked like a man until Arthur inspected it more closely. It was a statue, an incredibly lifelike statue, every piece of him perfectly etched in stone, covered in cobwebs.

"Ugly brute," Gwaine said. Merlin edged closer as well, bringing his torch with him to get a better look at the man. Somehow he had been kept perfectly preserved under the webs, an older man with a strong, stubborn brow and a square jaw. He looked as though, at some point, he had been able to command legions. Arthur edged forward and touched the statue's aquiline nose.

"Arthur," Carrow clucked from another side of the room, falling back into a breathy sing song voice. She was investigating a tablet that stood there, which Arthur had not noticed when he first arrived. She pointed to it and Arthur edged closer to read.

"If you have come for the gold, I fear I have spent it. If you have come for the shawl, it has left me. If you have come for the orb, it is in my lap - you may have it only if you don't wake me."

"Is this some sort of joke?" Arthur said, frowning and looking up at them. Carrow jabbed at the tablet again.

"I do not joke," it read.

Gwaine laughed. "You think he left it?"

"Who else would have done such a thing?" Merlin said. She looked at Arthur then, her mouth quivering into the smallest of smiles as she proceeded to remove the thick silky spiderwebs away from the man's lap which uncovered a large round effervescent orb. It was slightly pink in hue, but it did not glow or look magical in the slightest. In fact, it faintly resembled something that Arthur had gotten Morgana for her birthday one year.

"Carrow, be careful," Arthur said.

She put a finger to her lips to shush him, though he expected it was more to quiet herself. She seemed on the verge of a giggle fit. He wondered if it was because not moments ago she was livid. Hysteria, probably. The last thing they needed was for Carrow to be _hysterical_.

"Perhaps I should…" Merlin said. Arthur would have preferred that. Though if history proved anything, it was that Merlin was not the most dextrous of people.

Carrow, however, managed to remove the orb quite painlessly, Arthur didn't even hear her scrape the glass of the orb against the stone of the statue.. She held the orb up for them to see.

"Right, now get away from him and lets - " Arthur started.

"Where did he go?" Gwaine asked quite suddenly. Arthur had scarcely looked away from the man resting there and he had completely vanished. "What is this? Some sort of trick? Carrow, do you still have the orb?" Carrow nodded, holding up the orb again. "Good, put it in your bag. I think we best be leaving here."

The lot of them headed towards the door, but flames erupted there, blocking their way. Arthur had been nearest the door, his arm nearly through it. His jacket caught light and he could feel the heat searing through it quickly, catching his flesh as well. He fell backwards away from the flames, swatting at his arm like mad. Merlin and Gwaine were on top of him then, trying to put the fires out. He could feel it eating at his flesh and his eyes began to water from the pain.

Once they got it out, Gwaine helped him to his feet and they whirled around. A cold, cruel laugh reached Arthur's ears then, its tenor hoarse and neglected.

"I warned you not to wake me," the man said, his voice strained. He let out another hollow cough.

"Who are you?" Arthur said.

"My dear boy, don't you know where you are?" the man said.

"No - you're not Adheman, are you?" Carrow said, sounding gleeful. Arthur clenched his fists, very nearly wanting to slap her. His arm burned and he was struggling not to seethe and she sounded _excited_.

"Why yes, my dear, I am. And that is my orb you're about to walk off with," Adheman said.

"Well you did say we could take it." Carrow motioned to the sign.

"Yes, if you could do so without waking me. See now, you have, so I'll take it back," he replied.

"Well, what in the hell do you mean by trapping us here? You nearly killed me! What the hell is going on?" Arthur exploded, growing quite irate with the entire situation. He grimaced as a cockroach scuttled across Adheman's face. The man took no noticed and smiled at Arthur.

"Oh that wasn't me," Adheman said, quirking a smile. "I'm not the only one here. Surely you heard the laughter earlier."

"What? There was no laughter, what laughter? Upstairs is empty. There's only us!" Merlin said.

"No, I heard it. There… it sounded like my Thomas. I thought I was hearing Thomas, that Gerry had led Keldor to us somehow and he was baiting us," Carrow said, voice no longer gleeful but distant and apathetic.

"Your mind was playing tricks on you, you little brute. That's the laughter of the three. They live in the forest surrounding the area. I'm surprised they didn't come out to meet you, they love fine gentlemen like yourselves… Actually I believe it was _you_ they may have been avoiding. That face isn't something to ensconce in eternity," Adheman said, smiling at Carrow as though he were being charitable.

"Hey!" Gwaine was of enough mind to say in Carrow's defense.

"The three what?" Merlin pressed.

"Gorgons, young warlock! Gorgons!"

"What the hell are Gorgons?" Arthur asked.

"Face and bust of a woman, tail of a serpent. One glance can turn you to stone, mate. Seductresses, supposedly. The stuff of legend. You know - complete rubbish," Gwaine replied. Arthur thought he should be surprised that Gwaine would have the answer to that, but considering they were 'seductresses,' he supposed that piqued Gwaine's interest long enough to learn of them.

"Gorgons hiding here," Carrow said. "But why?"

"They were here first. My brethren forced me here to protect that which you hold in your hand. I made it - though I can't remember why at this point," Adheman said. The old man sounded tired, unconcerned even. "But in my long sleep I have heard whispers of your arrival. I am sorry to say I cheated - I was awake when you arrived. I have not decided whether to allow you to take it or not."

"But you said you didn't do this," Merlin said, pointing to the wall of fire, still burning brightly.

"I didn't, my power has all but faded. The sisters keep me alive, because they owe the druids a favor. And because I tickle their fancy from time to time," he said slyly. Arthur did not want to know what he meant by that and his nose wrinkled unbidden at the idea. "They are the stuff of legend, as you say, Sir Gwaine."

"Sir? I'm not a Sir. Has a nice ring to it, though, don't it, highness?" Gwaine said, elbowing Arthur, who winced.

"Not yet, I'm sorry. I forget what has and has not happened yet. They whisper all sorts of things to me unwittingly. It becomes muddled, you see. For instance I know you wish to use my orb to sap the power from your undead foe," Adheman said, speech slurring slightly.

"And will you allow us to leave with that in mind?" Merlin asked tentatively.

"What? Oh, oh yes. Of course. But you must bring the orb with his power back here once your quest is completed. It will only be safe under the care of I and the Gorgons," he said.

"Will it work, do you think?" Carrow asked.

"That, I do not know. Keldor is very cunning, I believe he already knows what you mean to do… and that, witch, does not work in your favor. But that being said, you all have shown yourselves to be cunning as well. Besides that you have _him_," Adheman said, pointing at Merlin slowly. Arthur frowned. He didn't understand what was so important about Merlin, why the servant was somehow this great sorcerer. Right under his nose! If he was so great, why did Merlin allow himself to be treated as he did? Why did he work at all?

"If you're allowing us to go free, are the Gorgons going to?" Arthur asked.

Adheman's eyes widened. "Oh! Now that _is _the question, isn't it?"

"Why aren't they here? If they were able to spring this fiery - "

"That's more like a… security system. It appears whenever someone tries to take - Oh here comes one now. Sthenno, most unfortunate… " Adheman slurred, edging back towards his place on the stone bench. "She's the forceful one. Impatient." He sat back down and abruptly turned back to stone. Arthur quickly went over to him, hugging his arm to him as he did so, and put a hand to the man's shoulder. Solid, as though the conversation had not occurred at all.

Suddenly Merlin howled from behind him. Arthur spun around to see Carrow and Gwaine leaning over Merlin, who's teeth were clenched in pain. He saw blood pouring from Merlin's gut, the man's eyes closing slowly. Arthur forgot the amulet then, and raised his sword searching for the beast who had stabbed Merlin. His heart pounding as he heard a laugh which sounded like bells.

"Don't look her in the eyes!" Gwaine said.

"Oh stop that, of course you can look me in the eyes!" The laughter came again and a woman appeared in front of Arthur. A beautiful creature with fiery red hair and crystal blue eyes. Her neck was long and sloping, everything about her graceful. Except the mouth, which hid a pointed tongue, flicking in and out through her sharpened teeth. Her bottom half, did indeed appear serpentine. A dull black tail which she rose up on to peer into Arthur's eyes. He expected he would end up like Adheman, stone forever.

Nothing happened.

When he didn't turn to stone, Arthur took his chances and swung his sword at her. He was surprised when it met with steel, his burned arm vibrating painfully. He pushed hard against her, but the beast was incredibly strong. The sneer in her eyes turned savage and hateful, she used her tail to trip Arthur to the floor. Gwaine came up behind Arthur then, his own sword drawn.

"Gwaine, no!" Carrow called. The Gorgon then glared at Gwaine and he stopped in his tracks - stone just like Adheman. Carrow ran up to him and cupped his now stone face in hers. She stomped up to the Gorgon, eyes glowing gold in anger. The Gorgon was flung to the wall opposite.

"Undo it! Turn him back right now or I will cut out your eyes and damn well feed them to you!" Carrow screeched, metallic anger radiating off of her. Arthur struggled to his feet, sword clenched in hand.

The sound of bells again, as the Gorgon cackled.

"You certainly know how to paint a picture, little one. Stronger than you look when pushed, too," she said. Sthenna Adheman had called her. Arthur's blood boiled angrily as he looked at Merlin's lifeless body, at Gwaine's stone face.

"Your wizard is wearing an Amulet of Life, is he not? I sensed it when I entered. I'll warrant you have no idea how those work, do you?" Sthenna said, chortling madly. She enunciated each 's' in perfect snake-like fashion.

A small bit of relief caught Arthur in the throat as he recalled the amulet. Sure enough, not twenty seconds later, Merlin was struggling to breathe. Arthur thought about going to his side, but chose to hold his ground. He knew, now, that Merlin would be fine.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't care what you mean, put Gwaine back to rights," Carrow said in a cold voice.

"All in good time, shrew. You care for the loudmouth, that is so touching. It has been a long time since I witnessed love, those who come here - it is out of greed or curiosity." The Gorgon paused, glancing at Gwaine, "I should very much like to keep him myself. Such a handsome face." Her words were like a caress. Were it not for her teeth and bottom half, Arthur thought perhaps it would be quite easy to be seduced by her.

"Why did you kill Merlin?" Arthur said through clenched teeth.

"Why to teach! Or to remind, for the warlock has already learned the hard way how the Old Religion works in matters concerning life and death," the snake hissed sweetly.

Merlin sputtered and coughed, trying to clamber to his feet.

"What does she mean, Merlin?" Arthur asked.

"The balance? That balance must still be restored?" Merlin said.

"Balance, what balance?" Arthur pressed irritably.

"Balance, yes! Always about the balance with the Old Religion. Silly and unfortunate. For every life granted, another must be taken. That is how it works," the Gorgon crowed.

"Every time someone dies and is returned by the stone… someone takes his place," Arthur echoed, eyes widening.

"But then who took his place?" Arthur said, scrambling.

"Not important! You must do something for me if you desire to leave here. My sisters will not be pleased I allowed you to leave, of course, especially you, your highness. Such a strong nose. We would so have enjoyed gazing at you for a couple hundred years," the Gorgon said.

"What do you want?" Carrow spat.

"Feisty, feisty. If not for that face, you would be entertaining company! You remind me of my sister, Euryale, who is so often away…" Sthenna said a touch despairingly.

"And my promise of violence still stands," Carrow said, looming over the Gorgon vengefully.

"What do you want?" Merlin repealed, edging towards the scene carefully.

"I want you to bring Keldor to me. We have unfinished business. My sisters and I are confined to this area, except for Euryale, who wanders more freely. She consistently refuses to help me though - she is very conniving at times. If you do not, your handsome rogue will be bidden to return to me. Once under my spell - he is mine, you see. As Adheman is mine," Sthenna said.

"What do you want with Keldor?" Arthur asked.

"That is no business of yours. But I will take part of the responsibility for how he turned out, for allowing his power to grow - I did, after all give him a shawl of the undead," Sthenna said. The fires suddenly dissipated. "But he was once a very handsome man. My sisters and I often fall prey to a pretty face."

"What do you owe the druids?" Merlin asked. Arthur frowned at him for the question, he didn't see why it mattered.

"The druids! Such lovely people when they are not trying to get something from us! They gave us control over our eyes, you adorable creature! We were cursed hundreds of years ago to turn anyone we looked upon into stone. Even each other we dared not land our gaze. But in return for our cooperation, the druids recalled the curse and gave us choice in the matter," she replied. "It is so pleasant that you are interested, little one. But you must not continue to badger or I will lose my temper and not allow you to leave at all."

"Turn him right, then," Carrow repeated.

"Yes, yes, alright, you wicked little thing," she hissed.

Gwaine took in a deep breath of air behind Arthur. Carrow continued to glare at the Gorgon. Arthur put a hand on her shoulder, urging her to relax. He, too, was angry and frustrated. His arm burned and he would have liked nothing better to than to slice the snake's head off. However he did not think that would go over well and tried to gather himself.

"Go then, your way is free. I am sorry for your loss," she said, before slithering away out one of the holes in the very top of the room. Arthur heard her laugh as she dismissed herself. The fires dissipated and they could go through. They did not speak to each other as they went up the stairs, each of them thinking the same - that Sir Leon had died in response to Merlin's resurrection.

They did not find Leon dead, however, but Gerry. Leon was bent over the man's body with horror on his face as he tried to resuscitate him.

"Sire, I'm sorry! He just keeled over! I don't know what happened!" Leon said, ready to take the blame. Arthur put a hand on Leon's shoulder wearily, relief spreading throughout his body. He should have felt sorrier that Gerry was dead, but how many people had the man gotten killed in his effort to 'experiment' with the stone? Arthur _knew_ that the bastard had known how the stone worked. It was why he so desperately wanted away from them. The deaths probably had only one thing in common - proximity to the stone. He wondered who had died at the inn when Carrow had killed him.

####

They had gathered then, each piece to the puzzle. Arthur was rolling the amulet around in his hand - they had decided against wearing it now. He didn't even know if it would be worth it to use on Keldor. But they had no other option. He had taken up third watch that night, while the others slept. There had been no permanent damage to Gwaine, that they could see. Though he had been stone, he had been conscious of the entire precession. He had joked that it wouldn't be so bad to be Sthenna's pet, but the joke had been half hearted and fell quite flat.

Arthur was angry. Livid even, at what had happened. He stared into the fire, trying to get a handle on his anger - which so often seemed just about ready to boil over. Everything that happened, that _kept_ happening seemed reactionary. They were never a step ahead, but three steps behind. It worried him that Keldor seemed to know everything they planned. How? How could he know? Was he there watching them now somehow? He was not a God! He was a man! He could be destroyed! Arthur had to keep telling himself or fall into despair.

He didn't notice that Carrow had come to sit beside him.

"Why aren't you asleep?" he asked grimly.

"Sweet prince, don't you hear yourself mumbling irritably under your breath? Because I certainly do. And it is extremely annoying," she said.

"Did you know about the amulet?"

"I feel I should have. There is always a catch."

"I am so _sick_ of simply reacting to things!" Arthur said, throwing a stick into the steadily burning fire angrily. Carrow didn't answer, though he was certain she felt the same.

"How is your arm?" Carrow asked.

"What? Oh, fine. Well, it stings," Arthur replied. It turned out that there were only first degree burns, a few splotches of second - but nothing serious. Arthur had refused a magical treatment, he was sick of magic. He wanted _natural._

"Let me see," she said.

"No magic," he warned her. She grinned cheekily. He removed his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeve to his shoulder so that she could see. His arm glowed a hot red in the firelight. The heat from the fire tickled angrily and he wanted to move.

"Let me put a bit more of the salve on them," Carrow said, jumping up to grab an ointment she had made from God knew what. She seemed to know what she was doing when it came to natural herbs and remedies, but Arthur felt she had splashed a bit of magic in as well. The thought irked him. She retook her seat on his right and began spreading the green gunk onto his arm. It immediately cooled and a sense of relief tingled through his arm.

She worked quietly and smiled at him as she did so. She was in a far less chatty mood than usual, he got the sense she was not in the mood to fake it like usual.

"The Gorgon… she said you loved Gwaine," Arthur said, wishing he hadn't as soon as it had escaped his lips.

"She did? Because I could have sworn I just heard 'care'. Which is true of any of you," Carrow said, giggling and looking at him mischievously. "Why, sweet prince, do you care what a manipulative Gorgon said?"

"No reason, I was just curious," Arthur said. She put the salve down.

"I know what you're thinking though. Or not thinking rather. You need to put all of that from your mind," she said cryptically.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Arthur said, bristling.

"Oh be honest. You're jealous of Gwaine - rightfully so I might add," she said, which stung. "But you have a hero complex, you want to save everyone. Which will make you a great king one day - well, if not a tragic one - but you see me as someone who needs rescuing. That's an attractive quality in a woman for you. And while I may be a damsel, and I may be in distress - I can handle it. I do not need a hero. I need help. And you don't need to be nursing feelings for me, feelings which are unfounded and will only get you into trouble. You are a prince, a snotty, supercilious, strong, and courageous prince and I am a scarred, erratic, and eccentric witch. Possibly even insane. None of those qualities should a future king be attracted to."

"Are you quite through?" Arthur growled at her.

"I think so. I could probably come up with more, but wait - no, yes, I'm finished," she said, smirking at him. He wanted to slap her.

"You really have no idea what you're talking about," he said. "You barely know me."

"If you say so, sweet prince," she said in her loathsome sing song voice. She got up to lay back down, to leave Arthur to stew with her words, he knew. He was glad she left him. His jaw clenched and he felt like hitting someone again. Gwaine sounded like a fine prospect. But it wasn't his fault that Carrow happened to be right. Was she right? No, she wasn't! He wanted nothing to do with her. His arm tingled coldly again as the salve began to work.

##

_Sorry this took longer than expected. School is kicking my ass - besides that I'm getting down to the wire here and tying up loose ends is going to be… difficult. I know Gorgons are more of a Greek thing, but oh well. They just sort of worked in my head. Granted I think this all just brings up more questions than answers, but our heroes have to sit down and have a chat about what they're actually going to do now, don't they? _

_I love hearing your thoughts/comments, as always. And you silly anons, it's too bad you don't join so I could reply to you! Regardless, I love hearing from you. Thank you all for keeping up!_


	15. Chapter 15: Set Fire to the Rain

Chapter 15: _Set Fire to the Rain_

_##_

Leon had relieved Arthur soon after he and Carrow's 'chat,' which led Arthur to believe that Leon had been awake the entire time. The knight's eyes and tone of voice betrayed nothing, Arthur found he was slightly annoyed by that. He would have liked the most reasonable of the brood to have reassured him or even reaffirmed what Carrow had said. He did not fall into an easy sleep, but one ridden with images of Thomas - whom he hadn't seen in several nights. He welcomed the dreams if only because that meant Keldor had not gotten to the boy.

Arthur woke early the following morning. Leon was stoking the dying fire as the sun rose behind the trees. He nodded at Arthur as he sat up, yawning heavily.

"Morning, Sire," Leon said quietly.

"Leon," Arthur said briskly, getting to his feet and stretching. He saw Merlin twitching in his sleep at the far end of camp. Carrow and Gwaine were asleep not far from him, though he saw that Carrow had been careful not to choose a spot too close to the rogue. Not that Arthur cared one way or the other. He ran a hand through his hair impatiently.

"I was just about to go and collect some firewood," Leon said. "They'll be up soon. I imagine Carrow will be able to cook us up some breakfast then. She had said something about leftover mushrooms."

Arthur managed a half smile at his knight, who's stomach had just growled loudly at his words. "Don't worry about the firewood, I'll go and fetch some. I need to stretch my legs anyway." Leon nodded.

"Are you alright, sire?" Leon said as Arthur turned around.

"What? Yes. Fine -" Arthur began, but decided that he didn't want to lie to Leon. There wasn't a point. "I'll be better once we get home." Leon nodded, satisfied with the answer.

There would be quite a few decisions that needed to be made in the coming hours and his head swam because of them. They had the orb, a thing that Merlin had assured him would sap and store Keldor's magic long enough for them to incapacitate him. The life granting amulet had been jammed into his pocket the night before, he was not certain what they would do with it.

Did they need it? If anyone decided to kill Keldor, he would surely escape and another would die in his place. But if they stole from him his magic, brought him to the Gorgons, could they not simply let Sthenna turn him to stone and do with him what they would? Could they trust the snakes? Stupid question, for certain. How grand this silly quest had become! What had started out as a simple journey to rid himself of a nightmare had quickly turned into such an absolute catastrophe that Arthur wasn't certain it was worth it.

His father would not be pleased when they returned. _If_ they ever returned. His thoughts had not turned to Camelot as often as they probably should have. Thomas, Carrow, and Keldor had dominated his mind since he left. Merlin's big reveal had done nothing to improve the status of things. As such, he felt that his life was in absolute shambles. A bit melodramatic, certainly, but as it were didn't he have a right to be melodramatic? At least privately, yes, he thought he did.

He picked up a thick gnarled bit of wood and snapped it in two across his leg. "Could just sneak away back to Camelot," he muttered. "No one would be the wiser. Back to where things make sense."

It felt good to complain of these things out loud, even if he knew they didn't mean anything. He wouldn't leave. He was no coward, he wasn't afraid of Keldor. Or of the Gorgons. Or of Carrow.

"Perhaps a little of her," he said.

"She _is_ frightening," agreed a small voice from behind him. Arthur spun around, dropping the wood in his arms in favor of his sword, which didn't exactly want to unsheathe itself properly.

"Thomas, what the hell are you doing here?" Arthur asked. He wasn't afraid this time, his heart beat didn't race, his breathing didn't quicken. It was as though he had expected the boy without knowing it.

"I'm getting better at it. He's… he's teaching me things," Thomas said. Arthur's eyes narrowed. "You've met the Gorgons. That's good. He doesn't like them, he's afraid of the ladies. You must set back to Malorne soon."

"Yes, tell me something I don't know," Arthur said. The little boy seemed somehow calmer, less frightened - less frighten_ing_. He realized it was because he no longer had the arrow sticking out of his eye, the grim reminder that he was dead. In fact, there was nothing about this boy at all that said he was dead. His complexion was softer, with only a slight tinge of pink. His blond curls were clean and untangled. Dark green eyes sparkled under a stubborn brow - like his mother's did when she'd done something particularly naughty. He looked healthy, happy - he looked _alive. _Had Keldor sent the boy? Was it a spectre?

"I'm not a spectre," the boy said, giving Arthur a lopsided grin.

"But you're not Thomas," Arthur said, frowning angrily at the thing. He knew there was something off about Thomas now, he couldn't put his finger on it. He knew it must be staring him in the face. He hadn't dreamed about Thomas in a few days, which had worried him. Now the boy was here and claiming that Keldor had been _teaching_ him? Surely that was less than fair news.

"No, not quite," Thomas said - he was even a bit smug about it. Arthur's eyes narrowed as he studied the boy. He _did_ look younger somehow, he had originally thought it was the way the morning light was hitting his face. .

"Keldor's waiting for you all. He's excited. A demon like him - he's a warrior at heart. He's been itching for a worthy adversary. You know that's _not_ you."

"I'm aware," Arthur snapped.

"You must let Merlin do as he sees fit. Put your anger and fear of magic behind you for now," Thomas said.

"What the hell do you think I've been doing this whole time!"

"Yes, but you don't have control over it, and it's driving you absolutely mad. You need to regain control, but you also need to realize your limits, Arthur. This will not be the only battle you must knowingly allow Merlin to fight for you," the boy continued. Arthur clenched his fists. The boy's beguiling little speech was having a less than sobering effect on the prince. "If you don't, you will die and Keldor will have won. And if you die, Camelot falls."

"Why are you here? Don't you have anything of use to tell me?" Arthur said through clenched teeth. It was as though people had suddenly found it good sport to exacerbate his nerves. At least the Carrows did. But then, that wasn't news, was it?

Thomas smiled cheekily at him then, and said "I have to go. But Arthur you mustn't forget your promise."

"What promise?"

"Do not let mummy anywhere near Malorne," he said, a threat on the tip of the boy's tongue. Thomas's face darkened and Arthur woke up.

####

Arthur could smell mushrooms roasting over a fire. He sat up suddenly, too suddenly and the blood rushed fervently to his head. He put a hand to his forehead, steadying himself.

"It was a dream," he breathed, clenching his jaw. He rubbed his eyes till he saw spots, trying to remember everything that had happened. He couldn't believe that it was, in fact, a dream. It had been so real, so vivid. His dreams, even when guided by the little boy, had always been cumbersome and erratic. They were always out of focus and struggled to sustain an image or any sort of narrative flow.

"No, no you're burning them," Carrow said. Arthur looked up in time to see her swat Leon's hands away from the fire. The knight rolled his eyes at the witch, but seemed to smile in spite of his obvious irritation. Leon's eyes caught Arthur's and narrowed.

"Are you alright, sire?" Arthur frowned, hesitating to answer.

"Fine, fine," he said, waving him off. Arthur stood up, grabbing the jacket he had used as a pillow in the night and throwing it on over his shoulders. The air was chilly, but he could see that it was later in the day than it had been in his dream. The question was had any of it been trustworthy? What if it had been Keldor manipulating him? What if it hadn't been any ghost at all, but simply his own mind? In his experience, ghost influenced dreams were hardly so clear. They spun him about with warped images and cryptic messages. This had lacked those ambiguities altogether.

If it had been Keldor, he would have expected it to be more menacing, more manipulative. He discarded the idea for the more logical one: it was just him. His subconscious had been toying with him.

It had been three days since they had seen the Gorgons, it would be another couple days ride to Malorne, where Arthur felt quite ill prepared to go. They had the pieces to the puzzle, but he felt sure that Keldor would be far more ready for them. The one thing they had on their side was that he didn't have quite such a hold on reality. He could manipulate dreams, sway the dead, but Arthur didn't think the bastard could do much more than that. Unless something had changed.

Running a hand through his hair, he looked back at Carrow. Merlin was behind her. The two were laughing about something, but Arthur couldn't focus enough to make out what it was. He wondered how it was that she could smile so easily, let out a laugh, feign happiness. For she was surely _feigning_. If only he could bottle that strength, that ability to act. It would most certainly prove useful when it came time for him to take the throne. He shook his head, gathering his thoughts, gathering the courage to do what he knew had to be done.

He unsheathed his sword, looking at it for a moment. His reflection glimmered back at him in the dull sunlight. His face was filthy, sweaty - it was fairly obvious he hadn't slept particularly well in the past few days. None of them had. They were just making a better show of it. Arthur wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, swallowing hard.

He headed over to Carrow, who was hovering over the fire with her mushrooms. She ignored him for the moment and he hesitated. Was he really going to do this? She would never forgive him for it.

"Seared or lightly toasted, sweet prince?" she asked. Arthur's heart sunk. But she couldn't go with them. She just couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Carrow," he muttered. He hit her over the head with the hilt of his sword, catching her before she fell into the fire and setting her down gently on the forest floor.

"Arthur! Why - what are you doing?" Merlin asked, getting to his feet, eyes widening in an unusual mixture of indignation and horror. Arthur frowned at him, motioning for him not to come any closer. He half expected Merlin to blast him with some kind of magic bolt, perhaps a bolt of lightning.

"Merlin, just wait a moment. Leon, help me get her up on the horse," Arthur said. Leon shook his head, a look of displeasure on his face. Fantastic, even Leon looked as though he might attack him.

"Where's Gwaine?" he asked. He had half expected the rogue to be a statue again, for he hadn't heard him protest. Arthur wasn't even certain what Sthenna meant by the fact that Gwaine would be under her power no matter where he was. It sounded like a load of rubbish to him.

"Takin' a piss, if you don't mind," said Gwaine, stomping out of the forest loudly. "Those mushrooms done yet, Carrow?" The rogue stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Carrow lying unconscious. "What the hell is this?"

"Gwaine, don't even start. She can't come with us."

"What do you mean she can't come with us?" Merlin said. "Of course she can! She will! Arthur - "

Gwaine went to Carrow's side. "Help him get her up on Leon's horse. He's taking her to Colwyn."

"No. I don't care who you are, you're off your nut, you self righteous little prat," Gwaine said furiously, lifting Carrow's head slightly as he tried to wake her. Arthur clenched his jaw.

"Listen to me! If she comes - she will end up _dead_. Don't you see? She's exactly what that translucent bastard wants. I made a promise to her son that she wouldn't go near that forest again, and I'm going to keep it. Leon will take her to Colwyn, keep her there, keep her safe. Merlin, you, and I will take Keldor out - "

"Hold on, Arthur - Sire," Leon started, putting his hands up. "I'm not babysitting the witch. I have to draw the line somewhere - and it is at that. I've got a better chance of survival riding into Malorne _alone_ than I do with… _that_." Arthur's eyes widened. Leon had never been so forthright.

"She knows what she's getting into, Arthur," Merlin added quietly. "She's devoted so much of her life to this, we cannot be the ones taking it away from her. It's not right."

Arthur's hand tightened on his sword and he looked at Carrow's unconscious face, for once void of its usual defiance. She appeared lost and frightened. "You're right, Merlin. She _has _devoted so much of herself to this, too much. Gwaine, I know you care for her. Would you like her to die for the cause?"

The man seemed to chew it over in his head. If all three of them were firm in their opposition to the idea, he'd allow Carrow to stay. Perhaps he was bias in the matter. He was certain he was bias, but that didn't change the fact that he felt indubitably _right_ in this matter. Gwaine sighed heavily, then picked Carrow up in his arms.

"She's going to kill us for this. Though I suspect she'll start with you," Gwaine said, shaking his head. "I'll go with her -"

"No, Leon's going. I'm afraid she'd eventually talk you into allowing her to follow when she wakes up. Besides, she's a lot less likely to threaten him with deadly force than you," Arthur said firmly. Gwaine looked as though he were going to argue further, but kept his mouth shut. Arthur suspected that Leon might continue to fight him on the matter and was loathe to look at the knight again. Even Arthur somehow felt he was taking advantage of Leon.

"Are you sure, Sire? Your father will have me killed if he knew I were abandoning you to care for a _witch_," Leon said.

"You're not abandoning me, Leon. You're following a direct order. You don't have to care for her, either, you just need to transport her to Colwyn. Treat her as a prisoner and enemy of the state if it will make you feel better," Arthur said. "Have her flogged or something if she kicks up a fuss." Arthur sheathed his sword at that, having thus secured his position on Carrow. Leon grimaced at Arthur, but went to help Gwaine anchor Carrow to his horse.

Merlin was still standing by looking quite undecided in the matter. But Arthur didn't feel the need to justify himself to Merlin. He didn't have a say in the matter. He shook his head and went to gather his things, pack his own horse while his stomach began doing rather vivacious somersaults, his brain warring with itself. He was simply trying to keep her safe, but then why was a gnawing guilt already beginning to grow in the back of his head like some angry tumor?

"This is a terrible idea," Merlin muttered, coming up behind Arthur as he fastened his pack to his horse.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, _Mer_lin," Arthur said.

"Yes, but I'm offering it anyway. Free of charge. Carrow is our only way to navigate through the forest. Besides that I'm still not sure I even know how to operate this stupid orb - she was helping me work it out - " Merlin continued. Whined, really.

"Don't lie, Merlin. I know she taught you how to use the bloody ley lines. We'll use them to get back to the cave. As for the orb, you'll figure it out," Arthur said.

"Arthur. I know you care about her, but don't you think this is going a bit far? It's not just Carrow we'll be losing, but Leon's sword as well -"

"Leon's just another person I have to worry about getting killed. If I could send Gwaine back with them, I would. I don't know if you realized, but so much of this is riding on these supposed great and terrible powers of yours," Arthur said. He didn't think that Merlin _did_ need Carrow. Not for anything more than moral support. He could see the exhaustion and stress in Merlin's face, finally realizing that his servant was scared. Terrified. Arthur recalled Thomas's warning, and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "I know I've been… horrible to you."

"Yeah, you're a clotpole, but I'm used to it," Merlin said, forcing a smile.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "But - I… I have faith in you, Merlin. You'll be able to get us through this. And if you don't and we end up ghosts - I will make eternity in that forest a living hell for you." Merlin grinned more sincerely now. Arthur tightened his grip on his servant's shoulder, and Merlin winced slightly. "No, but seriously."

####

Merlin followed wearily behind Gwaine and Arthur. It had been two days since they separated from Leon and Carrow. Before they left, Carrow had started to stir and Merlin did up a makeshift poultice for Leon that he hoped would keep Carrow in a deep slumber for at least another day. Even if she did wake up and somehow get away from Leon (which Merlin doubted would be difficult) he hoped they would be too far ahead for her to catch up.

He regretted making it. He thought perhaps he'd even overdone the enchantment due to stress and Gwaine pestering him with questions as to whether or not Carrow would be alright when all was said and done. The poultice was harmless, the least of her worries. The knot from Arthur's blow to the back of her head - that might cause for stir of alarm. He didn't say as much to Gwaine, of course, the man was already fretting in a way that was most uncharacteristic indeed.

They had been riding as hard and fast as their horses were willing to go. Because they were more sure of their direction and there was no need to make detours to town, the ride was not nearly as cumbersome as it had been in the past. Besides that, Merlin got the feeling if Arthur stopped to think he may lose his nerve.

Merlin felt the same. He wished Carrow was there to lighten the mood. He hadn't realized how often she stopped to save him from his thoughts. Gwaine usually would have filled that role easily, but even the rogue seemed to be lost in thought. But this was madness. They couldn't continue to ride in silence!

Merlin frowned at the back of Arthur's head.

"So are you two going to fight to the death for Carrow's hand once you've rescued her from the prince o' darkness or what?" he said.

There was a momentary silence before Gwaine started laughing.

Merlin worried that the comment had gone a bit too far as Arthur was still riding forward quietly, the usual air of haughty pretentiousness wafting behind him.

"Then again Arthur probably doesn't have to worry so much about you, does he? You're hardly the settling down type," Merlin continued.

"No, no, of course not," Gwaine said, grinning as he shook his head. "Though to be honest I don't much see Carrow as Queen material. She'd probably melt the crown down to buy black market witchcraft supplies."

"She'd end up stealing all the jewels from the vault and horde them. You know how she is with shiny things," Merlin added.

"She'd launch half a dozen wars with her warped view of peacekeeping," Arthur said without glancing back at them. Merlin grinned at Gwaine as the tension finally began to ease between them.

What Arthur didn't know was that Merlin had overheard he and Carrow's discussion the other night. Not that Merlin would need to hear that to know that Arthur had developed feelings for the woman. But Carrow had been right in telling him off. Neither of them would benefit from that sort of relationship. Not that it would go anywhere to begin with, but if there was a possibility that it _could_ the two would end up killing each other. Merlin smiled to himself, the butterflies in his stomach finally finding a resting point, if only for the moment.

They traveled another couple hours before finding a place to stop. If they kept up the pace, they would end up at the edge of the forest by nightfall the following day. The timing was dismal, of course, as the idea of going near Malorne at night didn't sit well with Merlin. But it was what it was.

He kept expecting Carrow to jump out of the bushes, vengeance in her eyes. She never did, of course. But he half wished she would.

"We'll make camp here," Arthur said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Finally," Gwaine muttered. It was already quite dark by this time. Merlin wished they had stopped sooner. They were running low on food and trying to find something in the dark would prove tricky. He recalled how Gwaine would complain that they couldn't simply conjure food out of thin air and thought that there must be some sort of spell for that. He just hadn't run across it yet. He made a mental note to ask Gaius about such a spell. He hoped he would be _able_ to ask after Gaius. He'd been trying quite hard not to think of Gaius or Gwen or Camelot as they forced a new chain of anxieties to bubble forth.

"I'll get a fire going," Merlin said. Arthur looked as though he might argue, but nodded. It seemed that the prince was trying particularly hard to be okay with Merlin's magic these past couple days. Merlin was not sure what had happened, but he was grateful. At the same time he was waiting for the ball to drop and Arthur's head to explode. In the very least Merlin no longer felt the need to pepper the prince with apologies.

Merlin gathered a few rocks and branches together in a pile. It didn't matter what he set ablaze, anything would burn. He muttered a few words and the pile caught light. The fire roared to life before settling back into a steady burn. Merlin sat back, his stomach rumbling hungrily as he did so.

Ignoring it, he pulled the orb from his pack. It rested in his palm, prickling against his skin. Carrow had told him to be careful with it, she worried that it might turn on its user. Merlin thought this was quite a reasonable fear. He had certain theories of how it might work, but it would be better if he had a subject whom he could test it on. Yet another in the growing list of reasons why they shouldn't have been so quick to get rid of Carrow. Though she hadn't exactly been open to the idea when he'd suggested it before.

"You know how that works yet, mate?" Gwaine asked.

"I have a few ideas. Problem is I don't think Keldor will stand still so that I can practice," Merlin said.

"I'd really like to be certain before we get to Malorne, you know," Arthur said condescendingly.

"So would I, but it's not so simple, your _highness_," Merlin said. "If I had someone to test it on I would be able to be sure. But you got rid of the only magic user we had."

Arthur began digging around in his pack, pretending not to have heard Merlin's accusation. Meanwhile Gwaine had gotten quiet.

"Gwaine, you alright?"

"What? Oh yeah. I was thinking though. You remember Gerry?" Gwaine asked. Guilt clung to Merlin as he said this. He was only alive because Gerry was dead. But, he supposed, better Gerry than Leon. Or so Carrow had reassured him. But she was the last person he would consult on matters of morality.

"What about him?" Arthur said.

"Merlin, you bound his magic to that ring… right?" Gwaine said slowly.

"Yes," Merlin said.

"He died. Does that mean the magic went with him? Or is it still in the ring?" Gwaine asked.

Merlin thought about it for a moment. _Was_ magic connected with one's life force? Gerry had said that eventually his magic would get out whether he wanted it to or not and go straight for home - which was Gerry. But what would happen if that home no longer existed? Would it simply cease to exist?

"I've never thought of it that way," Merlin said. He knew now where Gwaine was going with the idea. Merlin could use the orb to sap magic from Gerry's ring. "We don't have the ring though, it's still on Gerry's corpse."

"Well…" Gwaine said.

"You didn't steal a dead man's ring, did you?" Arthur said.

"What? No! Carrow did though. She slipped it to me as payment for our card game in Kidwelly before you banished her," Gwaine said a bit sheepishly. "It didn't seem important at the time. But then I wasn't planning on saying anything. This is real gold, mate, do you know how many drinks it could buy me?" He rummaged around in his jacket and produced the chunky gold ring, proffering it to Merlin.

Merlin plucked it from Gwaine's hand and immediately felt it buzz slightly in his hand, as though the magic it held was quite ready to be through of its tacky gold holding cell. Merlin's eyes widened and a smile finally found its way to his face.

"You're smarter than you look, Gwaine," Merlin said, still staring at the ring. Gwaine beamed at him.

"'Course you look like an idiot," Arthur offered smugly. Clearly the prince was just jealous he hadn't thought of such a thing. Gwaine did not seem to take offense. "Can you transfer the ring's magic into the orb then? Binding it the same way you did to the ring but… to the orb?"

"That was what I was going to try, though I don't know if the orb works the same way. I've got a few ideas, though, if it doesn't," Merlin replied, nodding and holding up the orb. Arthur looked at the two objects with disdain.

"I think now's a good time to look for firewood," Arthur muttered, grimacing as Merlin began chanting. Merlin was worried that if he unbound the ring, the magic would be left unfettered and fly off in all directions back to the earth.

"As long as you're going off into the dark wilderness, see if you can scare us up a meal, yeah?" Gwaine said, leaning against a tree with a self satisfied grin on his face. Merlin knew that Gwaine did not have the same level of discomfort that Arthur did with his magic, but he thought that his nonchalant attitude here was more due to exhaustion than apathy.

Arthur made a move like he was going to slap Gwaine, but ended up walking away from camp leaving Merlin to concentrate on the task at hand.

He focused on the ring, getting a feel for the magic. It was slippery and almost waxy like its master. The orb was still prickling in his other hand. It felt to Merlin like a burr that stuck to his skin. It wanted to be filled. He wondered if it was already housing some poor soul's magic. Concentrating, he tried to envision the magic transferring itself into the orb.

This didn't quite work. But the ring _was_ humming more fervently now. Did that mean anything?

He put the ring down and stared at the orb, willing it to open. The orb let out a shriek and Merlin flinched, dropping it entirely - which did not cease the screaming.

"What he hell did you do to it!" Gwaine yelled, covering his ears. "Undo it! Put it out!"

"I don't know what it's doing!" Merlin said, scrambling to fish up the orb from the forest floor. It was hot in his hands, searing even. He juggled it a moment, and then it suddenly cooled. The shrieking ended but was replaced with an eerie crying. Merlin glanced at Gwaine who had stood up, sword in hand as though he might slice the thing to ribbons.

"For christ's sake, make it stop! It's going to attract everything for miles!" Gwaine said. As soon as he'd said that, Arthur bumbled back into camp, his own sword drawn.

"What's going on?" he said.

"Merlin's done something to the orb," Gwaine replied. "It's crying now, he can't shut it off. Betting than the wailing though, I suppose."

Merlin didn't hear much else as the orb fastened his hands even tighter to itself. He couldn't let go, even if he wanted to. But that was just it - he didn't want to let go. The orb had gone warm, it was resonating against his fingertips leaving him with a tingling sensation running up and down his back. He knew the feeling was magic - but it wasn't his magic. The inside of the orb began to swirl in a black smog that Merlin wouldn't have been able to see but for the flickering firelight.

A face appeared, the face of a woman. She had bright blue eyes and wispy blond hair. She was lovelier than the last time she appeared to Merlin. The woman in white that had been haunting him all these past weeks. Tears stained her cheeks, she looked away from him. He could hear Arthur shouting at him, but the prince sounded so far away. Or perhaps it was he who was far away.

The orb swirled again, the woman was outside of what remained of a charred house. She was weeping over a man who was surely dead, his face burned beyond recognition. Merlin no longer felt as though he were pouring over the vision in an orb, he felt as though he were there standing beside her. He bent over her, put a hand on her shoulder. He was consumed with the desire to comfort her. He didn't think she could feel him though, she did not look up, but stayed there whimpering.

Merlin heard screams and shouts, the sounds of people burning alive. He stood up, blinking away tiny bits of ash and cinders that attached themselves to his eyelashes. He coughed as smoke burned his lungs. He turned around and saw that the entire village was in ruins. The sound of hooves echoed in his ears and he saw that there were soldiers on horseback corralling the remaining villagers into cages like animals. They hadn't noticed Sara yet.

Merlin ran to the cages and tried to unlock them, screaming a spell as he did so. But no one took any notice, the locks didn't break. He was powerless. The pain and sadness enveloped him and he collapsed to his knees. He couldn't… He couldn't take it. Merlin thought the despair would overwhelm him, but then he heard a voice.

It rang out through the misery, fiercely and without mercy. He struggled to look behind him, Sara had gotten up. Her eyes were no longer red rimmed with tears, but a vicious gold.

"Má chruthaíonn duine gur milleadh biotáille nó gur éirigh sí neamhoiriúnach lena tomhailt, féadfaidh sé an bhiotáille a dhíothú," she said, voice unyielding. Merlin's eyes widened as he recognized part of the spell.

"But.. But that will destroy everything! Sara you can't!" he shouted. It was too late, of course. Something went through Sara and an invisible field was emitted from her very being. Merlin felt as though he would be swallowed up in it with everything else, but a familiar and swollen darkness overtook him.

He found himself in a heap on the floor of a cave.

"You got away," came Sara's voice. It was cold and cruel. It reminded Merlin of Carrow when she was being particularly ruthless.

"Wasn't even there." Merlin scrambled to his feet, backing up to the wall of the cave - the white chalk of the runes glowed vibrantly. Power emanated from them much more strongly than he remembered.

"No, of course not. You wouldn't want to get your hands dirty," Sara replied. The woman went to the wall of the cave, coming very close to Merlin. Her face had aged somewhat since he had seen her last. Her beauty was not so evident, her skin had dulled. She appeared thinner, her eyes sallower.

"Quite the contrary. I had other conquests to attend to," Keldor said, his rich voice reverberating eloquently against the cave walls.

"Oh? And how is Alana?" Sara asked.

"Always so cheeky. Just because I grew tired of you, Sara, doesn't mean I wouldn't welcome another roll on the floor," Keldor said. Sara looked away from Keldor and Merlin thought he saw the faintest tinge of embarrassment on her cheeks. She looked at Merlin then, directly at him. Did she see him? Merlin waved a hand in front of her face, but she made no reaction.

"These are sloppily done. Ansuz should not be reversed," Sara said.

"Of course it should be," Keldor spat. He didn't react well to being told he was wrong. "Manipulation, muddled dreams, delusion - if the ghosts can't see straight they won't be able to escape."

"Common misconception," Sara replied, waving him off. "They will be easier to control if they do not see you as an enemy. You can anchor it with a reversed Kenaz and appear -"

"I do not need your advice, witch. I have prepared for this night my entire life. Everything is as it should be," Keldor said.

"And who will your innocent be for this evening?" Sara said, a smirk on her face.

"I had hoped to make it you. But you went and ruined that with your explosion at Maestag. Very well done, by the way. I couldn't have decimated an entire village so well if I tried. You released over fifty of my men into the spirit realm to boot - they'll be waiting for me," Keldor said.

"If you say so," Sara said, shrugging.

"I really must thank you for all your help in this, though, darling." Keldor put a hand to Sara's cheek, stroking it softly as a lover would. Merlin felt ill. They looked into each other's eyes for another moment and Keldor leaned forward for a kiss - but Sara turned away from him at the last second. Merlin let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as his cheeks reddened.

"Yes, well. If you don't bring Kay back to me first things will not end well for you," Sara said.

"You will find your precious husband again soon," Keldor sneered.

"I thought you might say something like that," Sara said. "So I brought a guarantee." She produced the very orb that Merlin was peering into. "I believe you met Adheman."

"The sisters won't be pleased you stole that."

"I was counting on that. They will be less pleased when they find you here. And with their Shawl of Undeath as well!" Sara said, tone verging on glee. All this chatter, Merlin realized, Sara was buying time.

Keldor realized it too. "No matter, this won't take but a few minutes to invoke and you'll be dust."

"So will you. And the men outside the cave door. Can you really do that to yourself?"

"Better to die at my own hand than leave it in the hands of mother nature," Keldor said, shrugging. "Bring in the sacrifice!"

Two of Keldor's men came inside with a child. A little girl with bouncy brown curls and a cookie in her hand. She looked happy, completely unaware of what was about to befall her. Merlin knelt down in front of her. He tried to clutch her wrist - he just wanted to drag her away from here!

"Come in, sweetheart," Keldor said. "Come to Daddy!" Merlin's eyes widened in shock as the little girl raced into her father's arms.

"You would have your own daughter killed?" Sara breathed, appearing human for the first time since Merlin found himself in the cave.

"There's only one way to scar the soul badly enough. The father must kill his heir. Alana bore me the child for that reason alone. Do not act surprised! We will be reunited in death, anyway!" Without another word, Keldor slit his daughter's throat and caught her blood in a chalice Merlin hadn't noticed before. Merlin rushed towards the girl as the light left her eyes. There was a gasp from Sara.

"You knew! You knew this would have to happen!" Merlin screamed at her. "You knew and you did nothing!" Keldor began chanting then, unconcerned with Sara, who was now weeping over the child. Or at least pretending to. Merlin saw that she had dipped her hand in the child's blood then.

She stood up then and went to the wall of the cave, towards one of the runes which he didn't recognize. She began whispering her own spell then, one which was unfamiliar to his ears, but which almost seemed to echo Keldor who had paused.

"What are you doing?"

"Granting you your wish!" Sara stopped to say, her eyes still glowing gold. Merlin had seen her power, it would have rivaled his easily. She continued her spell and the ugly green-black shawl that Keldor had draped over himself began to tighten around the man's throat. He couldn't speak then. "You want to live forever in undeath! Do you? Fine! But your death will not be your choosing. You will never leave, you will never walk with the living, and you will never touch me again!"

Sara completed her spell then and Keldor fell dead, but Merlin could still hear choked screams. He knew that the bastard was wrestling with his own death, that he was still there. Merlin watched as the man's body was consumed by the shawl in a grisly display of blood and dust. The shawl, too, disappeared once the body was gone.

"What have you _done_?" a voice said from the entrance of the cave.

"I gave him what he wanted!" Merlin whirled around and saw a woman that looked similar to Sthenna, but with rich dark curls. Her snake half was a bold blue that sparkled in the moonlight. It was the Gorgon Euryale, Merlin guessed. Sthenna had spoken of how Euryale possessed the ability to wander away from the Shrine of Adheman.

"Silly girl! You have lost us our shawl! Where is the orb! I have followed you this far, give it back to usss!" Euryale shrieked. Sara smiled a bit maniacally and tossed the orb to Euryale willingly. "You will be punished for this!" Sara held up a hand, which had begun to disintegrate right before their eyes. The wind caught it as though it were becoming ash.

She laughed hysterically. "I am already dead, you silly snake!"

"You will not get off so painlessly, foolish witch!" The Gorgon took the orb and held it before her, screeching the spell that would activate the orb. Merlin covered his eyes as a great white light exploded forth from Sara. The orb consumed the light, which seeped into it. Sara screamed in agony all the while this was happening. She was both having the magic sucked out of her and turning to dust as it happened. Whatever spell she had performed to secure Keldor's place in the afterlife had sucked her in with it.

When the orb had absorbed all of the light, the Gorgon looked at it grimly. She tucked it under her arm and left. Merlin was once again overwhelmed by darkness.

He felt water being tossed violently into his face after that and then someone was slapping him. He opened his eyes tentatively and saw Gwaine and Arthur peering over him, concern on their faces.

"He's waking up, look he's fine," Gwaine said.

Merlin tried to sit up and the orb rolled away from him. His head swam as he remembered what he'd seen. The last poignant moments that Sara's magic had been used, that was what the orb had shown him.

"Finally! Were you in some sort of trance? You wouldn't let go of that stupid ball!" Arthur said, looking at the orb suspiciously.

"I-I know how to use it," Merlin sputtered. He promptly threw up in his own lap.

##

_So it's been a whole week since my last update, which I apologize for. Midterms. Gag. But as I know what I'm doing now, the rest should come pretty easily. Which is epic news all around (particularly for me as I'm wanting to wrap this up). I'm not sure if there will be one or two more chapters in this story - but don't worry. I have a sequel in mind! Love to hear from you guys!_


	16. Chapter 16: Light the Match

Chapter 16: _Light the Match_

_##_

Merlin regained a flimsy consciousness not five minutes later. Arthur was leaning over him, slapping his face as though that might help. He pushed the prince away, groaning miserably as he tried to push himself up. It felt as though Gwaine and Arthur had been doing a wholly inappropriate jig upon his head. His brain sloshed around inside his skull painfully, and he blinked away purple spots.

"You alright, mate?" Gwaine asked.

"What the hell happened? What do you mean you know how to use the orb?" Arthur asked, brushing away Gwaine's question with a more authoritative tone.

Merlin got to his feet, putting a hand to his forehead as he tried to steady himself. Firelight glanced off of Arthur's sword and reminded him of the glint of Keldor's blade as he slit his daughter's throat, that half cocked little smile on his lips as he did so. The little girl's own smile never once faded, she didn't have time to realize what was happening to her or to even feel pain. The silver lining, he thought bitterly. He wiped his mouth and stumbled across the camp.

Gwaine took his arm and helped him find a place against a tree. Merlin could feel the wet of his own sick, which had drenched his tunic, but he didn't care. What he had seen was still streaming through his mind.

"I just want to go home! You've no idea!" Merlin said, wiping his mouth again. His eyes began to water, whether because of the burning stomach juices still bubbling painfully up his esophagus or because of the way Sara's face kept spiking heatedly into his vision, he couldn't be certain. "It was her bloody magic, the last big magics she used! We got it _wrong,_" Merlin said.

"Got _what_ wrong? Who's magic, Merlin?" Arthur said. Merlin laughed then. It was a bitter, ugly laugh that sounded foreign coming from his mouth. But then he couldn't stop. Sara's last attempt at redemption had fallen so incredibly _flat_. They had thought she was the victim, but all of this had originated from her. She had lost someone dear to her and erupted in misery and anger, that one _moment_ and she'd completely lost control over herself. What if that happened to him?

It had, a small voice reminded him. Nimueh had been on the receiving end of it two years ago. He remembered all the anger and fear he'd felt had just issued forth in a rage. But he'd found a way to control it, he had been in his right mind at that time. He hadn't let go as entirely as Sara did. But he'd had hope for Gaius's survival. It didn't seem like Sara even cared that she survived the mess.

He laughed again, but the laughter turned into something a bit more maniacal.

"What's wrong with him now? Is he possessed?" Arthur said, sounding irritated, concerned, and a bit afraid all at once.

"Maybe the orb emitted some sort of… hypersensitivity… gas. It did do that neat little glow thing while he was out," Gwaine said, which only furthered Merlin's hysterics.

But that was just it, if he didn't laugh then it would probably come out in tears. He tried to get a hold of himself, forcing the images in his mind to a safer compartment where he could turn them into something he could coherently share. He noticed the acidic taste in his mouth and grimaced. Gwaine handed him a flask of water, which Merlin took gratefully.

He took a swig, swirled it around in his mouth, and spit it on the ground. Taking a deep breath, he felt more himself. The emotions that had seeped through him had been more than he dealt with before, but he though he could manage it.

"Merlin?" Arthur said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm alright," he said apologetically.

"Alright enough to tell us what all that was about?" Arthur asked, motioning at the orb a bit dramatically. Merlin looked at the orb wearily, feeling extraordinarily tired as he did so. A hot bath and a warm bed, that's all he wanted. He bet Carrow and Leon were getting on famously at Colwyn, if she hadn't murdered him yet.

"I told you. It showed me the memories of the last big magics that Sara performed before her powers were sucked into it," Merlin said.

"Sara, as in our Lady in White?" Gwaine asked.

Merlin nodded. He recounted everything he'd seen in the orb. Maestag razed to the ground, Sara's eruption soon afterward, her torrid little affair with Keldor, how he murdered his own daughter, and finally Sara's paltry attempt at redemption.

"Wait, so you think that she and Keldor…" Gwaine said, raising an eyebrow as though this made no sense. But then Gwaine had been visited by her all these weeks the most. She had singled him out for some reason. Perhaps because he was so easily swayed by a pretty face in a ragged dress? Honestly he or Arthur would have been just as sympathetic to her in such a costume. Or maybe it was just that Gwaine's mind was the most palpable. He didn't know that the reason mattered.

"The way they spoke… It was something twisted and," Merlin searched for the right word. The only thing that sprang to mind, however, was 'icky'. "Well, whatever it was, they were doing some serious close talking. She'd helped him figure out this whole enduring on in death… spell, helped him get that cloak from the Gorgons. He had this… effect on her," Merlin said, remembering the way that Keldor spoke to her. Like a lover. He had the power in their relationship. Merlin didn't know how or why but he had obviously seen her as some kind of pet to play with. Just like his daughter. He didn't even know the girl's name, he realized.

"So this bastard murders his daughter just so that he can become some sort of poltergeist? What kind of sick… I don't understand," Arthur said stiffly. "I just do not understand how something like this can happen. That this sort of spell should be created in the first place."

"We don't have to understand it, we just have to end it," Gwaine said quietly. "You know how to do that, now, do you, Merlin?"

"I… think so. The vision was nothing if not educational. I can replicate the spell, reverse it, break it. Mostly because of the way Sara was so adamant about Ansuz," Merlin said.

"That's the… doodle she showed me in my dreams, isn't it?" Gwaine said.

"Yes. It's a weak spot in the foundation of the spell. We'll need to get to the cave to draw him out. Ansuz is the keystone for his control over the other ghosts. If I can break that first then we'll only have him to contend with and not the entire bloody army," Merlin said. His head began to throb at the thought of it.

"You'll know how to pull him into the physical realm once that's done?" Arthur asked. Merlin's jaw clenched. This was the most difficult of their problems. It would have been easier to use Carrow, but that wasn't an option and he knew better than to mention it to Arthur. "Merlin, do you?"

"I… it's that cloak that's keeping him in the spectral realm. I think that I can get that off and have an easier time of it," he said. He stared into the fire for a moment, a complete lack of confidence in the plan growing inside him. He wished Carrow was here so that she could reassure him about his magic. Gwaine and Arthur didn't _get_ it. They thought that magic was an easy fix, that it was just there ready and willing. They didn't realize how _difficult_ it was going to be. Carrow may have been flighty and annoying at times, but at least she could relate - she could tell him it would work in such a way that he'd believe her. She was a profoundly good liar.

Silence hung in the air for a moment as the three men wearily wondered whether they'd make it through the next day alive.

"Well, you look like hell Merlin. Clean yourself up, get some sleep," Arthur said, getting up to find himself the softest bit of ground to curl up on. Gwaine, did the same. Merlin took a swig of water from the flask and went to find his pack - hoping for a clean shirt, his stomach fluttering anxiously all the while.

####

Arthur swatted at an invisible fly, hitting himself hard in the face as he did so. He woke with a start, sitting up too quickly. Blinking furiously to get his eyes used to the bright sunlight beaming down into their camp, he ran a hand through his matted blond hair and glanced at his companions - to make sure neither had died or run away with their tails between their legs in the middle of the night.

Gwaine was sprawled out obnoxiously on the ground, mouth slightly open, and a snore escaping from it every other minute or so. Arthur winced at the sight and found Merlin's emaciated form twitching on the other side of the fire. Arthur stood up, stretching quietly. It was early yet, and Arthur's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since noon the previous day - none of them had.

There was a stirring of leaves coming from somewhere further into the forest. His stomach gave another lurch. It sounded small, perhaps a rabbit. He thought, for a moment, about following the noise and chasing after the rabbit. The idea was delicious. But all he had was a sword and the idea of scampering through the forest after a rodent didn't sit well with him. He could wake Merlin up, sick him on it. He gave one look at Merlin and decided against it. The wizard didn't look ready to fight a hare let alone a dark undead sorcerer.

He saw the flushed pink orb lying next to Merlin's head. He picked it up, where it laid quite harmlessly in his hand. Arthur wasn't sure what Merlin had done differently last night to get such a reaction from it. He doubted Merlin did either, though. He was seeing now that Uther had done both he and Camelot a great injustice in inducing such ignorance where magic was concerned upon the kingdom. How could they fight something when they had no idea how to prepare for it? You had to fight fire with fire in these situations.

Arthur saw now that Merlin was his friend. He could see that whatever issues they had between them could be mended. He could forgive Merlin, he thought. He wondered if Merlin could forgive _him_ though. For not being the sort of friend he could trust with such a secret. He shook his head, putting the thought out of his mind. Had to be careful, he was actually being _empathetic._

Arthur glared at the orb in his hand, wondering if he should hold on to it. Deciding against it, he replaced the orb next to his servant's head. He hoped it hadn't done any lasting damage to the man last night.

Arthur went to the horses, which they had tied to a tree not far from camp. He went in search of Carrow's pack, which he had neglected to give to Leon when he'd forced them away. The witch always seemed to pull some sort of food out of the bag. She was good at keeping an eye out for mushrooms and other edible things along the way, being used to being on her own - fending for herself.

He gave his horse's flank a pat and unlatched Carrow's ragged brown pack from his saddle. Feeling like a criminal, he opened the pack and began to dig around through it. He pulled out a deep red shawl, the same one that she had been lusting after at the market in Colwyn.

"You little thief," he said, grinning in spite of himself. He had no idea how she'd managed to slip it away without the vendor noticing. Merlin's scarf must have been a diversion. He tossed the shawl over his shoulder and continued rifling through her belongings.

He found a heavy iron skillet, which he'd seen her use dozens of times. He had wondered why the bag was so heavy. There was a stale loaf of bread, a couple leftover potatoes and mushrooms, a soft tunic of white muslin, a rusted gold brooch, and, at the bottom of the pack, the tiny iron knight that had once belonged to Thomas. His hand went instinctively to his breast pocket, where he thought he'd put the thing. He remembered showing it to her all that time ago in the forest. She had reacted so nonchalantly, like it didn't matter. She must have stolen it back.

Arthur took the pack back towards camp, hoping the sorry potatoes and stale bread might do enough to fill their stomachs for the day's ride. As he got back, he heard leaves crackling behind him and whizzed around. He didn't see anything, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. It could be another ghost or some sort of spectre. Or an irritated Gorgon. He dropped the bag next to the fire, which was still burning softly.

He reached for his sword, unsheathing it, and raising it slowly. The crunching of leaves had circled behind him again. He spun around, bringing the sword down where it clanged violently against another sword.

Gwaine was attached to it.

"What the hell are you doing sneaking around like that!"

"What does one usually do in the wee morning hours?" Gwaine replied in such a way that made Arthur's grip tighten around the hilt of his sword. "You mind?"

"I didn't mean for you two to actually fight to the death, yesterday," Merlin said in between a heavy yawn. Arthur scowled at the two of them and lowered his sword. Though he had thought about nicking Gwaine for good measure. Honestly he didn't know who was more irritating: Merlin or Gwaine.

"That's not your sword," Arthur grunted. It had felt strange, the way his sword had vibrated against Gwaine's. It was because Gwaine had stolen Carrow's blunted iron one.

"How very astute of you, your highness. With powers of observations like that, I'm sure you'll make a fine king one day," Gwaine muttered, winning the competition for most annoying companion.

"Why do you have Carrow's sword?" Arthur asked.

"Why do you have Carrow's pack? Oh and that shade of red doesn't really suit you, highness," Gwaine said. He was far touchier than usual, Arthur noted. He didn't have to wonder why. Gwaine had been a bit short with Arthur ever since he'd demanded Carrow be left behind. He doubted that finding out Sara's loyalties were questionable at best did anything to improve the rogue's mood.

Arthur grabbed the shawl off of his shoulder and put it next to the pack before unloading its contents of food to share with the other two. He probably ought to just give Gwaine's portion to Merlin, though. And his own. If Merlin turned sideways, they would probably lose him altogether.

He glanced at the iron sword, which Gwaine had sat down beside him. "Merlin, do you think you could somehow… transfigure my sword into iron? We'll probably be needing it." He wished he had thought about this earlier. They could have bought a few iron swords in Kidwelly.

Merlin looked at Arthur a bit surprised at the question. Arthur supposed it was a touch odd coming out of his mouth. But times were dire, for godsake. He couldn't exactly tiptoe around the subject of magic anymore. He'd be a touch more uncomfortable if one of Keldor's knights managed to lodge a spectral blade through his gut, wouldn't he?

"No. That's… difficult, it's alchemy. Changing one element into another takes a bit more skill and I don't exactly have the patience to play with that at the moment," Merlin said.

"So, let's get this straight - you can conjure fire out of nowhere and blast people into trees with your mind, but turning a bit of steel into iron is a no go?" Arthur said. Merlin bristled.

"Fire's easy. It's just there. And… I just can't… I don't know _how_, alright?" he admitted. Arthur bit back another snide retort. Merlin was exhausted and he suddenly felt bad for goading him like this. He sighed, tossing Merlin a potato. Merlin juggled it a moment, before dropping entirely and glaring at Arthur, who shrugged.

"Oi! Arthur! Catch," Gwaine said. The rogue seemed to have been digging around in Carrow's pack and found her iron skillet. Arthur put his hands up just in time to avoid being hit in the face by it.

"Hilarious," Arthur said.

"Don't knock it till you've tried it, Arthur," Gwaine replied, shrugging at him.

####

"So here we are," Gwaine said, hopping down from his horse and inching towards the edge of Malorne.

Merlin let out a heavy sigh as he looked into the forest, foreboding as ever. The sun was already sinking below the treeline. He absentmindedly conjured his glowing orb of light as fear spiked in the pit of his stomach. The light dangled above his head comfortingly and he got uneasily from his horse. He already felt as though he were being watched. But then he'd been unable to shake that feeling since last night. He hoped it was just Sara. Though she wouldn't be amused that they'd found out about her rather sordid past. He was certain they didn't know the half of it.

"Here we are," Arthur agreed. "If either of you want to turn tail and run, it's now or never."

"I didn't know that was an option," Gwaine said, spinning the iron skillet in his hand skillfully. Arthur had nicked the sword when Gwaine had his back turned. The prince felt he was was far too good to be left to fight with a kitchen utensil.

"Well, it is for you," Arthur said.

"I'm good. I'm quite excited about going down in a blaze of glory. I'm sort of hoping I'll be brought back as a ghost," Gwaine said in a very serious tone. Merlin smiled, happy to have Gwaine along if only for the humor. He'd like to be able to laugh before he died, that was for certain.

"Let's not draw this out, shall we?" Merlin said, heading into the forest before he lost his nerve.

As soon as he entered, the forest grew altogether darker. He knew it would, but it was always disconcerting. His orb of light's glow was diminished by the darkness somewhat and he whispered something to strengthen it. Before going any further into the forest, he bent down and put a hand to the forest floor, hoping to find the ley line that Carrow had used to pick her way through the forest before.

He muttered the spell under his breath, his eyes flashed, and a clear white light blazed under his hand for a moment. His eyes followed the line of power deeper into the forest. That was only the second time he'd tried the spell, he was glad it worked properly. It was relatively simple, but Merlin's confidence was always bolstered slightly when things went according to plan. It was the little things that kept him going.

They hadn't gone ten minutes when something flickered eerily into view. A man. Face half flayed away from his body. No, it was charred. A victim of the fires that Keldor had started in Maestag.

"Jesus," Gwaine breathed

"It's just a ghost, he doesn't even see us," Arthur said, choosing to ignore the man. He walked by him, but he had made certain that Carrow's sword was held out before him. "North, you said, Merlin?" Merlin gulped, still staring at the seared flesh on the man's face before nodding at Arthur. Of course they would be out in full force tonight. Keldor would try to frighten them, then mow them down accordingly once they were properly scared. But that was where he'd underestimate them. At least that was what Merlin was hoping for. Being underestimated was the biggest advantage that Merlin had, perhaps he relied on the element of surprise too much.

Gwaine followed Arthur, looking particularly ridiculous with that skillet raised. It nearly brought a smile to Merlin's lips. Nearly.

He followed behind, grateful that his eyes had adjusted to the dark. He put a hand to his jacket pocket to make sure the orb was still tucked there safely. Without it, they would be as good as dead. Keldor probably knew about it by now, but Merlin didn't think the man knew that they knew how to use it. That they would be ready to fight him. Merlin was more worried about being outnumbered by Keldor's ghosts than anything else. He would only be able to weaken his hold on them if they got to the cave and broke the rune, Ansuz.

He hadn't told Arthur or Gwaine that breaking Ansuz would only _weaken_ the sorcerer's hold on his army. Merlin was just praying that, given the choice, the ghosts would sooner ignore their manipulative master. After all, that was what Sara had warned him about. She had been on about a more complicated version of catching more bees with honey than vinegar. Keldor had been tormenting these spirits for ages, they wouldn't be much pleased with him once they were able to think for themselves.

"Do you see her?" Gwaine said, stopping dead in his tracks for a moment.

"Who?" Arthur hissed.

"Sara, she's leaning over something - there," Gwaine said.

"Ignore her. She's not important," Arthur insisted.

"Gwaine, leave it," Merlin agreed.

"She's… she's crying. You don't see her?" Gwaine said to Merlin. Merlin peered into the direction that Gwaine seemed to be looking at, but saw nothing. He could feel the rogue itching to get to her, though he couldn't help but wonder if she'd been able to manipulate Gwaine's emotions somehow. He didn't think that Gwaine should be having such a strong reaction over her right now, not since he knew what had happened.

"No, let's keep going," Merlin said, putting a hand on Gwaine's shoulder and pushing him forward. At first he wouldn't budge, but then he shook himself and managed to keep ahead. Yes, Merlin thought, she was definitely doing something to him.

They continued towards the cave as quickly as they could. But Malorne was huge and he wasn't sure how long it would take to get there. It depended on which side they had entered on. Beside that, Carrow said the trees liked to move. He still wasn't sure that was true or not, he hadn't bared witness to such a thing - but she said he wouldn't. She liked to play tricks on them as much as the next person though.

"Why do you think he let us off so easily the last time we were in here?" Gwaine said.

"Didn't see us as a threat, did he?" Arthur said. "Didn't realize we had a hell of witch on our side." Arthur didn't look at Merlin, but Merlin was pretty sure that this was Arthur's attempt at complimenting him. Of course Arthur could never fully compliment Merlin, so he slipped an effeminate insult in there for his own peace of mind. Merlin grinned all the same, his heart lifting ever so slightly out of his stomach. It was amazing what a little faith from your best friend could do for you.

"Right, keep it in your pants, mate," Gwaine said. He couldn't see the rogue rolling his eyes, but Merlin was quite certain that was what was happening. Arthur was probably doing the same though.

"You need to leave," came a cracked voice from behind them. All three men whirled around. Merlin had a spell on the tip of his tongue, as he did so, ready to send whomever it was back to Keldor.

It was Bryant.

"Why are you helping him?" Arthur hissed at Bryant. Merlin had not forgotten the young knight. He bit back the urge to thank him. Had Bryant not tried to kill him, pushing him down into that sinkhole, Arthur would probably still be wallowing in self pity. He doubted rubbing that in the knight's face would be doing them any favors for the moment.

"I don't have a choice, do I? Never have, never will," Bryant said, glaring at Arthur with his sword drawn.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Do you think I wanted to train under you? I never wanted to be a knight in the first place - never wanted to lay down my life for a selfish little prince like you. But dad was a knight and my future was pretty much set. Then you got me killed. For nothing," Bryant said. Merlin's hand clenched into a fist. As much as he'd like to empathize with Bryant, now didn't feel like the time. He felt as though Bryant where stalling, as it were.

"Not for nothing. We're going to end Keldor," Arthur started.

"Arthur, now's not the time for you to be airing out your conscience," Merlin said. Gwaine took a different approach entirely and swung his skillet through Bryant's head forcing the ghost to take his leave.

Arthur looked at Gwaine a bit sheepishly and Gwaine nodded grimly at him. Merlin wondered why the ghosts seemed to effect Arthur and the rogue so much more than him. Granted, Merlin didn't really have to deal with the guilt that Arthur was lugging around. For that much he was incredibly grateful.

The three men continued forward, screams now echoing in the forest. Birds were quickly vacating their roosts as well, they must have sensed that the forest was not going to be safe that evening.

"This is getting a bit dodgy, isn't it?" Arthur muttered.

"We'll be fine. It's just cheap scares to break us down. Like the blood in the water," Merlin said, more to reassure himself than Arthur. His skin was crawling, but he wasn't afraid of the ghosts. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to do it, to use the orb or bring Keldor through to the physical realm. Everything sounded terrific in theory, but what if it turned out to be wrong in practice?

Merlin tripped over a loose root, and lost his footing. He fell to the ground and the orb rolled out of his pocket. He ran after it, heart pounding as his floating torch diminished again in his fear. When he felt small and insignificant, the effect was mirrored in his magic. His jaw clenched and he tried to get a handle on himself. There was a shout behind him, it sounded like Arthur. They must not have realized he had stopped. But how couldn't they? He had the light! He grabbed the orb and flung himself forward through the trees shouting for Arthur and Gwaine.

He'd let them out of his sight for two seconds! They couldn't have gotten this far ahead! It didn't make sense.

"Arthur!" Merlin shouted, knowing it to be a stupid move. He was going to attract everything in the bleeding forest right to him.

His breathing quickened and suddenly the air around him dropped twenty some degrees. He felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around to find… nothing.

"Whoever's there, show yourself!" Merlin shouted, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. An eerie cackle echoed behind him and a chill raced down his spine. They were toying with him. There was a whoosh of air past his ear, like a sword just missing him. He turned around, whispering a few choice words. Wind howled through the trees and, had there been any ghosts surrounding him, he hoped they would have been pushed back and out into the open. Though, in this case, nothing seemed to happen.

The laughing grew sharper though and multiplied. There were at least three men now, he knew that. They must be part of Keldor's army. "Listen to me! He's just manipulating you! You can fight him and be free of this place!" Merlin shouted at no one.

He stumbled backwards, trying to turn so that his back would be facing a tree. That didn't seem to work and he felt a point dig into the small of his back. He turned around slowly, another spell on the tip of his tongue. But he didn't need to, a sword sliced through the dead knight's face and he vanished in a flash of smoke.

"Behind you, Merlin!"

Merlin whizzed back around and the second ghost was on him, then. He muttered an angry spell which blasted through the ghost, vanishing him as well. He turned around to find the third knight - but someone beat him to it.

"Leon?" Arthur's most loyal knight made quick work of Keldor's last man.

"We should be fine for the moment. But do shut up, Merlin, love. You're attracting all sorts of unwanted attention," Carrow said, grabbing Merlin's arm and dragging him forward.

"Carrow, what the hell are you doing back here? Leon, why are you two here?"

"She's very persuasive," Leon muttered. "Besides, the rest of you get to break the rules with little to no consequence, I thought I'd give it a go." Merlin bit back a laugh, realizing that warmth had begun to spread through him, originating from where Carrow's hand gripped his arm. He realized it was her magic, he wrenched his arm away from her.

"What are you doing?" he hissed at her.

"You cannot do this if you're scared out of your mind," Carrow growled, glaring at him. He realized she was angry. Incredibly angry. "You are the most powerful wizard I've ever seen, but you've got no control over your damn emotions. And no confidence. Just let me help you." Without another word, she grabbed his arm again and finished her spell. Whatever it was she was doing, it was calming his nerves. He could think more clearly and his breathing was less erratic.

"Ready?" Leon asked Carrow. She nodded at him. Merlin frowned at the both of them - they seemed to be on the same page. He hadn't recalled the two really speaking before, but he supposed the couple of days they'd been forced into each other's company had gone a long way.

"Wouldn't happen to have another of those iron swords, would you?" Merlin asked.

"You don't need one," Leon said. Merlin supposed that was true, especially now that he felt more focused. He glanced at Carrow for a moment. She looked a touch dazed and he wondered what the hell she'd done to fix him. He knew that her powers were not great and whenever she did something big, it drained her. Not that she ever complained.

"We've got to find Arthur and Gwaine - I looked down for five seconds and they disappeared," Merlin said.

"Well, I warned you about the trees, didn't I?" she snapped. "I can find Arthur, he's got Thomas's knight on him. I just hope he and Gwaine haven't separated. Could you sharpen your torch a bit, Merlin?"

Merlin nodded and threaded a bit more power into his torch, making sure that he had tucked the orb deeper into his pocket so that it wouldn't roll away again. "How did you find me?"

"You were fairly loud," Leon said, raising a stern eyebrow at him. Merlin flushed.

"You've been following us this whole time? How the hell did you get out of the sleep I put you in?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, it doesn't matter. Hush so I can concentrate," Carrow muttered, her eyes closed. Arthur was going to be furious that she had come back. Every moment she was here, Merlin knew that her life was in serious danger. In spite of that, Merlin was glad indeed that Leon had brought her back. He had disagreed with Arthur about it from the get go, but Arthur wouldn't hear it. He wanted to tell her so, but he felt that the sentiment would only irritate her further.

"Fine, right. This way," she muttered. Her tone was cold, the playfulness had gone from it entirely. The scars on her face glowed with a new intensity, as if the anger were emanating from them. It occurred to Merlin that this could be a trick - that Carrow could be a spectre, Sir Leon a ghost. Had it not been for the spell, he probably wouldn't have followed them. For it was certainly Carrow that was now rolling around inside him, keeping him grounded.

There were still screams and haunting moans coming from the depths of the forest, but they didn't bother Merlin so much anymore. His skin wasn't crawling. He thought the tricks cheap and obvious. In fact, he was almost excited now - excited to really exercise his power. Out in the open, for all to see. No hiding. It was a new feeling, this thrill. What had Carrow _done_?

They walked for fifteen minutes and heard the clanging of iron and steel. Arthur and Gwaine were obviously fighting for their lives. Merlin quickened his pace, racing through the darkness. He was careful, this time, to watch his footing. Honestly, the roots of the trees were turning out to be the most dangerous obstacles in this godforsaken place. None of them were rooted properly - he supposed that made it easier for them to move around.

The three of them came out in a clearing. He saw Arthur first - no signs of Gwaine at all. Arthur was fighting three men on his own. Leon quickly entered the fray, sword drawn to help relieve Arthur of one of them. Carrow was about to help, but had to catch her breath a moment. She looked at Merlin expectantly.

"Oh, right," he muttered. He raced forward and muttered the same spell that had gotten rid of the knight earlier. Wind swept through the trees, displacing Keldor's knights. Arthur swung Carrow's sword through one of them before Merlin's spell finished him off. Apparently he didn't want to be upstaged.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Arthur shouted breathlessly, rounding on Leon.

"Where is Gwaine?" Carrow asked, cutting Arthur off. He looked at Carrow with even more incredulity before turning back to Leon.

"I thought I told you to keep her safe!"

"She is safe!" Leon argued.

Carrow grabbed Arthur by the collar of his tunic. "Now is _not_ the time, you pompous little prick. Where is Gwaine?"

"He was right behind me. He'd shouted we'd lost Merlin and then I think… I think he saw _her_ again," Arthur said.

"I think I hear something," Leon said. Merlin strained his ears, his torch zooming forward and cutting through the darkness as he followed the sound of tears. He wasn't sure if the crying would have anything to do with Gwaine, but they were female tears - and Sara enjoyed putting those on for show.

He saw them, then, near a stream that looked familiar. It was the brook that Arthur and Merlin had run into their first spectre. Little Thomas had been stirring right where the lovely blond Sara was now weeping. Gwaine was hovering over her as though looking for her wound.

"Gwaine, she's dead - what are you doing?" Merlin asked.

"She's not dead!" he hissed, Merlin frowned taken aback by the rogue's reaction. He didn't understand this connection. Even Arthur wasn't so affected by Thomas. In fact, Arthur hadn't made mention of the boy in days.

"That's Sara, remember? She's not safe, Gwaine," Merlin continued.

"She needs our help, can't you bring her back Merlin? All that bloody magic, you ought to bring her back!" Gwaine said, getting up and shaking his iron skillet as though he would hit Merlin.

Carrow appeared then behind him. She grabbed Gwaine's hand. He looked at her as though he were lost, transfixed. "Help her," he said.

"I will, but you've got to give me that first," Carrow said softly, her voice husky. Gwaine nodded and let the skillet go. Carrow smiled at him for a moment, stroking his cheek with her hand. But then she swung the skillet round the back of his head, knocking him out. Gwaine slumped forward in her arms and Merlin helped her put him to the ground.

"How the hell did that help?" Arthur asked.

"Hush for a moment," Carrow commanded. Merlin expected Arthur to argue further, but he kept his mouth shut.

The skillet still held firmly in her hand, she edged towards the crying woman - who was no longer crying. She was laughing. "He's not yours. He's mine. Do you hear me? Your Kay is dead! You killed him!" She swept the skillet through Sara's head and there was a shrill scream as the woman disappeared.

"Leon, grab that idiot and let's find shelter. We need to regroup," she said. Merlin didn't understand what she meant by that, but Leon had already gone ahead and heaved Gwaine over his shoulder.

####

Half an hour later and they found a nice clearing further up the stream to call camp. The forest had gone quiet for some reason. It was more disconcerting than if it was still rife with horrible screams of agony. Merlin preferred the screams. But he knew that none of them were actually sleeping tonight. They were just waiting for morning. It had started to drizzle as they waited there, making it even more miserable.

Gwaine moaned and tried to sit up, then. He hadn't been out long. But Merlin suspected that Carrow hadn't meant for him to be. She was simply trying to break the hold that Sara had over him.

"Are you going to tell us what all that was about, then?" Arthur said, addressing Carrow.

"What the hell happened? Where are we?" Gwaine said.

"We're safe… For now," Merlin said. "Why aren't they attacking us?"

"Because they don't know how to deal with you yet," Carrow said. She was drawing runes into the mud again. Large ones to keep them at bay. She had had Merlin draw a few when they first got there as well, saying that his would be stronger.

"Why did you come back?" Arthur said. "I thought I told you to keep her locked up at Colwyn."

"You think all I do is blindly follow orders? I'm sorry, your highness, but I wasn't going to sit cozy at the inn while you got yourselves killed," Leon said. Merlin saw pride flash briefly across Carrow's face, and it was mirrored in Arthur's.

"Leon says that you sent me away because you promised my son that you would keep me from coming back here. As though I would surely die if I did come back, right?" Carrow said. Arthur nodded.

"Yes, and excuse me for respecting your son's wishes and not wanting you dead!" Arthur said.

Carrow laughed bitterly at this and turned to Gwaine. "You agreed then?" Gwaine nodded apologetically.

"Idiots. The lot of you. I suppose you've never actually been near small children. They are selfish, whiney little creatures. They haven't learned to care for others as you or I do yet. They're just barely realizing that people have thoughts of their own at that point," she started, pacing furiously now. She stopped and faced them. "The only thing that Thomas would have _ever_ asked after would be his mummy. A six year old child will never _stop_ looking for his mummy."

She paused again. Merlin swallowed, realizing what she meant. Those dreams Arthur had been receiving were products of Sara. Sara hadn't wanted Carrow to come back. Merlin didn't know _why_ yet that Carrow shouldn't be there. But Sara clearly thought it would not work in her favor if Carrow was there.

"But then I'm an idiot, too. I wanted so badly to believe that my boy was alright, that he'd found a way out of his death loop - found a way to me. I let myself believe it and allowed my judgment to be clouded. That first couple of dreams you received, Arthur, I'm sure those were him - the way you described them, they would fit. But once you found me, I think he stopped," Carrow said.

"Because all he wanted was for us to find you," Arthur said, swallowing hard. "How did you know about Sara? Do you know about the orb? How she was working with Keldor?"

"We've been following you the past couple days. She was able to track you at first because you kept her pack," Leon said. "She's got two of those knights… she can talk to it and hear through it, or something. I don't understand how it works."

"I used these to keep track of Thomas when he was little," she said, taking out an iron knight. "He could never work them, himself. Another reason I should have known he couldn't really be steering your dreams, Arthur. He could barely make a leaf float when he was little. He took after his father - magic never came easily to him and I didn't force it." Merlin took up the knight in his hand, looking at it curiously. The spell was fairly simple. It was almost like a window. Arthur's breathing echoed from it as he put it up to his ear. The other one must still be in his pocket.

"It's brilliant," Merlin said, a smile lighting up his face.

"My grandmother taught me," Carrow said. He was surprised. She never mentioned her family. There was a moment of silence then, Merlin suddenly wanted to hug Carrow. He felt like he'd betrayed her just letting Arthur send her away - he knew it had been wrong.

"How did you know what Sara wanted from Gwaine?" Merlin asked.

"I took a stab in the dark. I knew that this 'Kay' person had played a large part in wrenching Sara's life apart, I heard that much from you, Merlin. I think that the reason she has so much hold over Gwaine is because, somewhere down the line, he shares a bloodline with Sara… I don't know exactly if I'm right, but the way she grinned…" Carrow shrugged. "Perhaps you look like him, too," she said turning to Gwaine.

"Fantastic," Gwaine muttered.

"Quite," Carrow said, nodding matter of factly.

"Do you think we should carry on with the plan then?" Arthur said.

"Of course. It's a good plan. We've just got to factor that selfish little harpy into it, is all. She wants out, too and Merlin's been a good boy and brought her her magic back," Carrow said.

##

_Oh someone watched Tangled finally. And yeah, so I think Gwaine is kind of Eugene/Flynn all grown up with his badass iron skillet. And I'm sorry this took so long to get out. I shan't be giving you excuses though, cause it is what it is, lol. As always I'd love to hear from you guys if you haven't given up on me in my unnecessarily long hiatus. Reviews and cookies all around?_


	17. Chapter 17: Follow You Into the Dark

Chapter 17: _Follow You Into the Dark_

_##_

They didn't trust Sara any longer. A part of Gwaine was squirming at the idea of hurting her. He knew she was not a friend, but whatever she'd done to him… some part of him still sympathized with her. Going against her was giving him a migraine. He needed a drink. Something to smooth everything out. Sobriety was making everything sharper. He was hoping not to make these ridiculously long quests a habit.

"We'll carry on as we were planning then. Why does she fear you, Carrow?" Gwaine said. Carrow laughed. It wasn't her usual laugh, it sounded bitter. She was angrier with them than she was letting on. He felt as though most of it were aimed at him, though. She wouldn't meet his eyes. It was driving him nuts. Almost as nuts as that blond bitch in the back of his head was making him.

"She's not afraid of me," Carrow said.

"Sara wants to come through, escape the spectral realm - but she wants Keldor to stay where he is, right?" Merlin muttered. Gwaine itched the back of his neck, fidgeting restlessly. He had this nagging feeling that he had somewhere else to be. "If Keldor comes through and uses Carrow, he'll be able to keep Sara from coming through. At least that's what she thinks."

"They've had no one but each other as company these past years. I imagine the foreplay would have been violent," Carrow said stiffly.

"Merlin's going to bring Keldor through anyway," Arthur said. "What do you matter in that respect?"

"I'm not a bloody mind reader. I suppose she doesn't believe Merlin has it in him," Carrow snapped.

His hands were beginning to shake now, the urge to run boiling in his veins. Sara was pulling at him. What the hell was this? Carrow said he was somehow related to Sara so now… his blood was under her control. Or was he related to Kay? They had had children? What were the odds of that bullshit? If they were somehow related by blood, he was certain it was somewhere on his father's side. Useless git. The rest of them were still yammering on about their so-called plan, but it was drifting in one ear and out the other. He was trying to keep himself from jumping up and running off into the bleeding forest. She was getting antsy, it seemed, now that she knew that _they_ knew she wasn't their best ghost friend.

He wanted to find her, every fiber in his being wanted to go to her. But he still had his mind! He couldn't go to her! She would probably suck the flesh from his bones, that two faced harpy.

Gwaine stood up suddenly, the fire that Merlin had summoned was too hot, it felt as though it were searing his skin. He wanted to put it out. Instead, he started in the opposite direction of where Sara wanted him to go. He supposed that she must be angry that Carrow had stopped whatever it was that she'd been trying to do with him. He heard Arthur (or was it Merlin?) calling out for him, but he ignored it.

He wouldn't go to her, but he could feel the tug on his leash gaining slack. That probably meant she was going to find him. He'd left the sanctity of Merlin and Carrow's little circle of runes. Magical doodles that would somehow keep a bunch of raving undead lunatics from gnawing their hearts out.

What was this? Was he _scared?_ He didn't get scared! Not of ghosts, not like this. He felt as though he were five years old, all of a sudden, afraid of the monster under his bed. His hand went to his sword: the steel one, which would be wholly ineffective against ghosts. Gwaine had left the skillet back at camp. He swore under his breath, hands still shaking. He yanked out the sword anyway, as though it might prove to be some sort of ward.

"Come to me, Gwaine," he heard. A silky female voice that echoed through the trees.

Without thinking, he followed the voice. He heard crashing from behind him, he knew someone was following him.

"Ignore the others, just come. It'll be safer here," the voice whispered.

What had Carrow said? He couldn't trust her, he had to stop and go back to camp. To his friends.

"Gwaine, you have to help me. Keldor's trapped me… don't you care about me?" she continued. Then she came into view again, standing in front of him with that doe eyed, hopeless look on her face. She was beautiful, she even seemed to glow. Her smooth, shapely face was nearly ethereally perfect. He put a hand to her cheek, but it passed through it as though she were only mist.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to get the orb from Merlin. Smash it. If you break it, my powers will be free and I can help you all destroy Keldor," she replied. Gwaine wanted to agree to it, but something was keeping him from doing it. "I only want to help… to rectify what I've done wrong." Gwaine looked at her suspiciously, she sounded so genuine. And yet..

"She's lying to you, Gwaine. That witch is evil. She's been trying to help Keldor break through the veil for years now. He's promised her power beyond your wildest dreams… He'll never make good on his deal… but you saw her face. She scratched those dark runes into her face all by herself. She was going to allow herself to be his conduit!"

"She wasn't the one using a child to string us along. I want you out of my bloody head!" Gwaine shouted, he could feel the tug on his heart weakening again and Sara's eyes widened in surprise.

"But it's _her_ child, isn't it? She _has_ been stringing you along! I only used an image I thought the prince might listen to… You've all been so taken with her. Most others are horrified of her - for good reason. You simple men! She must have charmed you somehow. How else would you fall for a face like that?"

"How are you doing this? I thought your magic was sealed away in that ball, how can you be yanking at me like this?" Gwaine snarled at her, ignoring her comments.

"Listen to me, please, _please_, Gwaine," she begged, coming closer to him. "That witch… she'll end up being the key to breaking Keldor out of the spectral realm - we can't have that and you know it. You've got to kill her -"

"I'm sorry you're stuck here, really I am. And this nifty little control you've got over me - it itches. A hell of a lot. But you've done this to yourself. If your only song and dance is for me to choose between you and Carrow - well, you're not _that_ pretty," Gwaine said, smirking at her.

"Stronger than I thought," Sara muttered, turning away from him and looking at her hand. "No, I just don't have enough… I just want to be rid of him!" The desperation in her tone nearly had Gwaine sympathizing with her again. She vanished then, but the tingling sensation underneath his skin was still in fine form. It felt like ants were crawling all over him. He rubbed his arms in frustration, as thought to sweep the little vermin off of him.

He heard footsteps behind him, and raised his sword, expecting Sara or perhaps an undead soldier to attack him. It was Carrow, her sword also raised. He dropped his own, letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Are you… alright?" Carrow asked uncertainly, lowering her sword.

"I think so. For now. You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" he asked, eyes narrowing at her.

"I had a feeling she may have died before the orb absorbed all her power. What did she want from you?" Carrow asked. Her tone was apathetic, short. It lacked its usual warmth and mischief.

"The orb. She wants it destroyed," Gwaine said. Carrow frowned. "You think that's odd?"

"I thought she'd use it to steal Merlin's power. And Keldor's while she was at it," Carrow said, she turned around. "I wonder…" She shook her head, discontinuing the thought aloud. Gwaine wondered if part of what the ghost said hadn't smacked of some truth.

"Why wasn't she able to keep a hold of me?"

"Dunno. She wasn't strong enough? You got angry enough?" Carrow said shortly, turning around to head back to camp. Her demeanor was beginning to piss him off, his patience wearing incredibly thin with her. Usually Gwaine had patience to move mountains when it came to women. But then he made a habit of keeping the company of silly girls, ones with angelic faces and heads full of saw dust.

He grabbed her arm. "Why are you so upset with me?"

"I'm upset with all three of you," Carrow replied, shrugging at him. "Let go of me."

"Yes, but you're particularly upset with me. Why? I just wanted to keep you safe!" Gwaine said. She cocked her head slowly to the side. He had just realized that she had her own Merlin-torch glowing pleasantly beside her head, the light dancing off her angry face. She looked up at him, fury in her eyes. For a moment he thought he would have rather gone a round or two with Keldor.

"I _expected_ to be treated like a porcelain doll by Arthur. He sees women as things to be tucked away on a high shelf, to be revered and fawned over. I expected Merlin to keep his mouth shut because he's on such thin ice with the prince as it is. But you… I thought you respected me more than that," she paused, turning away from him. "Now's not the time for a bloody domestic - so _let go of me._"

He didn't listen to her, but grabbed her other wrist, yanking her forward. "I'm sorry. Alright? From now on I'll let you run into a burning building whenever you want, no questions asked."

She continued to glare at him with those sharp green eyes of hers, shoulders tense and unforgiving.

"You cannot stay mad at me over _this_." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine, stay mad at me forever, then. See if I care." He let her go then and they glared at each other for a moment before she turned around and started walking back to camp. He wondered, for a brief moment, if Sara wasn't right - maybe Carrow was the one with power over him. He'd always fallen for women easily enough, but they'd never gotten under his skin. He never used to care if he upset one.

He followed sulkily behind her, resisting the urge to pluck a twig from the long, messy braid bouncing down her back. The really annoying thing was that Gwaine could still feel Sara tugging at him. He supposed if he stayed angry, it wouldn't do so much damage. That was actually fairly easy considering how sick and tired he was of women at the moment. Then Carrow stopped walking and turned around.

"You can't care about me, you know," she said, poking him hard in the chest with her index finger. "I don't _do_ relationships."

"Neither do I," Gwaine said, not sure where this was going. She narrowed her eyes at him again and then turned around, continuing her pace and dragging the sword she'd been carrying behind her. He could relate to that poor sword. He frowned at the back of her head, wondering what the hell was going on inside it.

"I've got offers coming at me from all angles though. Rumor is there's even a prince out there who wants me," she said suddenly, still walking.

"Oh yeah?" Gwaine said, unable to keep a lopsided grin from forming. She was beginning to sound more like herself.

"Oh yes. But then it's been said I'd make a shite Queen," Carrow said. Gwaine's smile finished forming as he realized she had overheard them the other day. She stopped and turned to look at him. He greeted her with a bit of a sneer. "Seriously, if you've talked Arthur out of letting me have the crown I will be very displeased with you. Do you know how difficult the seduction business is when you've got all this," she gestured to her face, "to contend with?"

"Funny, you make it look so easy," Gwaine said. She opened her mouth to reply, but closed it again, putting a hand on her hip. "Come on then, we'll have to get you back safe and sound to your sweet prince before he has a hernia."

He considered, for a moment, sweeping her up in a kiss, but decided against it. He still had that sinking feeling that Sara was watching them. She was jerking at him every so often and it was causing a dull throb behind his eyes. Gwaine had never hit a woman before, but at this point he could have cheerfully strangled that spectral bitch.

In any case, he imagined that Merlin was listening in on he and Carrow's conversation, as he saw the knight's lance poking out of the witch's hand. Not that this was much of a deterrence against his kissing her.

He just barely made out the flicker of their campfire through the trees. He edged past Carrow, avoiding her gaze. She stood there, looking at him curiously as though she were expecting him to say something more. He smiled to himself. "Coming?" he said.

####

"Can you hear them through that thing, then?" Arthur asked, pacing in front of Merlin irritably. The prince was making Merlin nervous, but Carrow had assured them she would be fine - she'd shout if she was in danger. Arthur wasn't going to take no for an answer, of course, but Leon had grabbed him before he'd set foot out of the circle. Leon was probably just sick of being ordered about by a man who was at least eight years younger than him.

"Yes, I can hear her I think," Merlin said. He was amazed at how clear it was. He could hear Carrow crunching through the dead leaves, hear her light breathing. It was as though he were right there, in her pocket. He grinned at the toy. "And you can't?"

Arthur leaned over Merlin, putting his ear to the tiny iron knight. He shook his head, letting out a huff that was quite close to being an audible whine.

"I couldn't either," Leon said. "She said it was… particular. Otherwise it would be pointless - broadcasting every tiny thing to everyone." That made sense. Merlin waited a moment, until he thought he heard Gwaine. She must still be too far away from him, though, as he couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Her movement slowed and she seemed to be waiting for something.

"Well, what do you hear?" Arthur said. Merlin shushed him, waving him off. He heard Gwaine's voice more clearly now. But it was as though he were hearing half the conversation. Merlin supposed Gwaine was talking to Sara. Perhaps the toy didn't transmit ghost speech.

Carrow cut in then, short abrupt replies. Then the conversation got a bit personal and Merlin felt like a criminal eavesdropping as he was.

"_Mer_lin," Arthur demanded. Well he certainly wasn't going to reveal what they were talking about now. His ears turned pink and he couldn't stop himself from grinning. He knew now wasn't really the time or place for a smile, but regardless of whatever pain and misery they were about to endure he liked that Gwaine had found Carrow. He chose to keep that bit to himself though.

"Sara manipulated Gwaine into finding her. She wants him to destroy the orb… Maybe she thinks it'll release her magic or something. He managed to shout his way out of her hold though and he and Carrow are coming back to camp," Merlin related quickly, putting down the iron knight. Arthur frowned at him for a moment, but looked back out into the woods. Merlin wanted to exchange amused looks with someone, but usually he would have done that with Carrow or Gwaine and obviously neither of them were around.

"Brilliant," Arthur said haughtily.

Five more minutes of Arthur erratically pacing the space between Merlin and Leon, Carrow and Gwaine reappeared around the trees.

"Is this going to become a problem?" Arthur growled at Gwaine, as though it were his fault Sara had control over him.

"I can handle it, I think," Gwaine replied stiffly. Arthur's eyes narrowed at Gwaine and for a moment Merlin thought Arthur might take a swing at him. Merlin couldn't help but think that might be a good idea. They didn't need Gwaine wandering off getting himself killed or leading stray ghosts to them. Especially if now they had not only Keldor, but Sara to deal with.

"Arthur, sit down," Merlin said. Arthur glared at Merlin for a moment. "You need to calm down." Merlin knew that Arthur was growing rather panicked, it was obvious. He was turning the fear into anger, though, which was a good sign. Merlin couldn't help but think that if Carrow and Leon hadn't shown up that Arthur, at least, would have been better off. Losing another knight would not do well for him, not after the reemergence of Bryant.

"You told them what Sara wanted?" Carrow prompted. Merlin nodded.

"What if… what if she's working _with_ Keldor?" Leon asked.

"It's a possibility, but I just don't think so. There's so much hatred there," Merlin said, recalling the look in her eyes. "But then we don't know what's happened here for the past hundred and some years between them, either."

"Does it matter? Are we caring about that now?" Gwaine said. Merlin raised an eyebrow at him. "No, listen. I think we should just ignore the bitch. We do what we came here to do: get rid of Keldor. Once he's out of the way, we deal with Sara. We don't need to keep adding layers to this, overcomplicating it."

Merlin pursed his lips. Gwaine was evidently not pleased with his newfound kin. While he could see what Gwaine was saying, he worried that Sara would get in the way.

"Carrow, do you think Sara can hear and see us through these runes?" Merlin asked.

"No, not since you were the one to draw them," Carrow replied. "That was the point."

"Right, well, I think I have an idea," Merlin said.

####

"You're not coming," Arthur said to Carrow. The five of them were gathering their things. Merlin whispered a spell to get rid of the fire. It went completely dark for a moment until two of his magic torches sprang to life. Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur.

"Would you hand me my pack, Leon?" Carrow replied, ignoring Arthur entirely. Leon acquiesced to her request and Carrow muttered a quick thanks.

"Are you even listening to me?" Arthur demanded.

"Sweet prince, your life is more important than any of ours. Would _you_ mind staying here?" she said, smiling at Arthur coyly. Merlin could see that she was excited now, the anger hadn't quite dissipated from her eyes - but she was ready for a fight. Arthur wouldn't take that away from her. Besides, she was quite important to their battle plan. Not that either she or Arthur knew about that bit yet. Merlin hadn't wanted to alarm them and he had wanted an argument even less.

"I'm quite willing to hit you again," Arthur said.

"Oh aren't you big and brave, threatening a woman," Carrow replied, swinging the pack over her shoulder and tucking her sword into her belt. Merlin rolled his eyes, turning away from the two, he headed towards his new favorite decoy.

"You ready for this?" Merlin asked. Gwaine raised an eyebrow that said quite clearly he was not impressed by the question. "I can't give you a light, you understand… but here's the orb. Don't let her get too good a look at it before you, you know."

"Smash it to pieces?" Gwaine took the orb, studied it for a moment, tossed it into the air, and caught it with a roguish grin on his face.

"Don't get cocky," Leon barked at the man. He'd been watching idly from behind them. The comment didn't diminish Gwaine's smile at all, of course.

"Bit late for that," Merlin said.

"You honestly think she'll fall for it?" Gwaine asked skeptically.

"I think it'll buy us a bit of time at least," Merlin assured him. This was the one bit of his plan that he was wholly confident in. It was the least complicated.

"Right then," Gwaine said, he turned to leave.

"Hold it, you!" Carrow said. Merlin moved out of her way and she put one of the toy knights into his hands.

"What good will this do me?" Gwaine asked. Carrow ignored him, cupping his hands and the knight in hers, she whispered the spell that would allow him to hear her.

"Merlin will have the other one. Please don't lose it. Sentimental value you know. Warn us when she's gotten our game," she said, pushing the knight into his chest and then turning to Merlin. Gwaine grabbed her arm, spun her around, and kissed her. Merlin flinched, his gaze flying to Arthur, who looked a bit ill. _Well_, Merlin thought, _he knew this was coming_.

Carrow, pretending nothing had happened, grabbed Merlin's hand, and dragged him into the forest. Arthur and Leon followed behind. Gwaine was left to go alone in the other direction. Merlin took a deep breath. It was now or never.

##

_I know this was shorter than usual, but I wanted to get things set up for the final battle and the next one will be like… very long so I didn't want to add this on as well because I thought you guys might get annoyed. Really this is sort of like half a chapter. Merlin knows what's up though, they're not going to bumble in, that's for sure. Be gentle with me, I wasn't thrilled with this one, but I wanted certain things to happen with Gwaine before the end. As always feedback/reviews are great and I appreciate all you readers! _


	18. Chapter 18: Live To Tell the Tale

Chapter 18: _Live to Tell the Tale_

_##_

His veins ran cold, his pulse slowed. His limbs felt heavy, and he could feel himself sinking to the ground. Those funny little torches he'd conjured from the black were flickering in and out, similar to his own consciousness. Arthur and Leon had been pulled away by Keldor's men, away from he and Carrow who was hovering over him whispering some futile little spell. Merlin knew nothing she had up her sleeve would be powerful to pull him out of _this_. Just as well as she must have known it. He could see the defeat in her eyes before she would allow herself to feel it.

_Good_, Merlin thought, _at least they would go down fighting. Arthur wouldn't have it any other way._

But what had happened that he should end up here? Dying quietly on the damp leaves of Malorne forest? For some reason it was so foggy. He remembered leaving the camp, watching Arthur's face fill with disappointment as Gwaine gave Carrow a kiss that looked a hell of a lot like a goodbye. He also remembered the slight irritation he had felt bubble up in his stomach at the insult. Didn't Gwaine have any faith in the plan? It was a good plan! He knew what he was doing!

"Oh you really _don't_ know what you're doing, do you, young warlock?" a voice said from behind him, a cold breath biting at his ear.

Merlin blinked, he realized that Carrow had gone from his side. The clanging of swords had disappeared entirely now and the world seemed to have gone a dark blue for some reason, which was a shade better than the blackness he had grown accustomed to in the forest. The trees were shakily drawn, as though the forest had been enveloped in some sort of mirage.

Merlin tried getting to his feet, but his limbs still felt heavy. He felt as though he had either aged half a century or he was all together dead.

"You'll get it soon, won't you? You asked for it, after all," Sara said, coming around behind him.

Merlin's eyes narrowed as he looked at Sarah. She appeared just as she did in the vision granted to him by the orb. That felt like it had been months ago. Her forlorn face was cloaked in a sneer, her hands resting snidely on her hips.

"The spell worked," Merlin asked, taking a look at his hands. They were swathed in the same mirage like aura everything else in the forest was. "And you didn't fall for my decoy." His heart would have been incensed right now had it not been curled up lifelessly behind his ribcage.

"Oh don't beat yourself up about that, it was a long shot. If it makes you feel any better, you did have me thrown for at least fifteen seconds. Quite a glamour you devised on that silly little amulet," Sara said.

Merlin edged away from her, gathering his thoughts. He could get rid of her easily, he felt. The right spell would send her clear across the forest. But he didn't necessarily want to do that. She could have incapacitated him completely while he was unconscious and between worlds, but she hadn't. Merlin wasn't of the opinion that Sara was completely one way or the other, with them or against them. He could still use her. After all, if she knew he was here then _he_ must be aware as well.

"Well it was either the amulet or Gerry's ring and the ring wouldn't have had the right flavor for a powerful magic sapping orb," Merlin said. She smiled at him, nodding. Wind swept through the cerulean tinted trees, ruffling Merlin's black hair and sending a shiver down his spine. He had thought that in death he would have missed out on those physical sensations of fear, but it seemed that his mind was allowing them to manifest all the same. He could even feel the hairs rising on his arms.

"He's heard you. But he's a bit busy at the moment, dealing with your knights and that pesky little witch. It's too bad you couldn't have found someone with a bit more power in her. She's more educated than you but you've got more magic in your pinky than she has in her entire body," Sara drawled, sounding a bit disappointed by it.

"Will you show me the way to the cave, then?" Merlin said.

"I'm not sure," Sara said, shrugging. He didn't have time for her to be cunning or manipulatively indecisive. His friends could be dying while he gathered his thoughts. Sara was right. Carrow wouldn't be able to hold an army of ghosts off for more than five minutes and if he allowed himself to stay dead any longer than that… he wouldn't be getting back. "How did you figure out that the runes couldn't be broken in the real world?"

"Carrow's been at those things for years. Paltry powers or not, she would have made a dent - besides that, the way they glow. It smacks of death. If you're not going to help me, get out of my way," Merlin growled, shoving past her and breaking into a run. He could feel the runes more strongly in the spirit world, but it was as though the power was whizzing by him on all sides, he couldn't pinpoint its origin.

"Follow me, young warlock. You may be granting me an eternity of this place, but at least you will rid me of a most unpleasant bedmate," Sara said, sighing behind him.

Merlin gave a curt nod, following behind reluctantly. She could be leading him to a trap, but his gut told him otherwise.

He could remember, now, how he had gotten to this point. Merlin and the others had been heading towards the cave. The whole time he had thought that he really _would_ need to use Carrow to anchor Keldor's existence in the physical realm. Ever since he had shared Sara's last moments with her through the orb, he hadn't been able to think of any other way. But then it had hit him.

He had replayed the spell over and over in his mind, listening to every syllable that sprang from Sara and Keldor's mouths, but he had been listening more intently to Sara's. He had thought she'd been the one to make the spell work at all, after all, Sara had been more powerful. She'd been the one with the know how. But Sara had only piggybacked herself onto Keldor's death to avoid the wrath of the Gorgon she knew to be right behind her.

Keldor had used the runes to anchor himself _between_ the physical and spirit realms, so that he might pass between both. But Sara had managed to skew the spell slightly and get him trapped only on this side - trapped in Malorne, near the runes and his only source of power. Sara couldn't draw on those for her power as they were specific to Keldor, but Merlin had a feeling she'd managed to draw on Keldor himself. Little by little so that he wouldn't notice.

The runes could be broken in the spirit realm though. They were created in life, anchored in death. He didn't quite know how he knew this now, he could just feel it. Perhaps there was something of the Old Religion of the necromantic runes after all, something that helped him find his way.

"How did you know that the runes would be at their weakest in this realm?" Sara asked, breaking the silence.

"I just got a feeling," Merlin said. He couldn't explain how he knew certain things when it came to magic, he just knew. Even if he did know the reason behind it, however, he would not take the time to explain it to her. "I can feel it getting stronger."

"Yes, it's just up here. We must be quick while he's otherwise engaged - " Sara began, but was cut off. Merlin heard her choking and whizzed around to see Keldor held her by the throat. He held her high above his head, a self satisfied grin on his face.

"I should have known you would be helping the boy," Keldor said, his rich voice boomed.

"I - I'm already dead, you id - idiot! Get - get to the cave!" Sara struggled. Merlin turned on his heel, forgetting Keldor for the moment. He didn't have the time for this. In all honesty he was sure Carrow had told him he had, at best, seven minutes before he would be gone permanently. Thing of it was, she might not even be there to bring him back. What if one of Keldor's minions had already broken through Leon and Arthur's defense? Carrow was skilled with a sword, but she was no Arthur. Come to think of it, she didn't even have the sword. She'd exchanged hers with Gwaine - she was armed with nothing but a bloody skillet.

He ran as quickly as his legs would carry him, wishing he had been able to practice the ghosting business. He felt certain there must be a way to teleport through the forest as Sara was able to. The cave came into sight, the white runes glowed uneasily through the quaking forest.

"You think you're going to get past me _here_?" came Keldor's ascetic voice. He let out a haughty laugh that echoed eerily through the incandescent trees. Merlin couldn't help it, he turned around and caught a glimpse of the man. A callous sneer spread across his austere, rigid face, it was clear that Keldor thought he had won. He still had Sara grasped tightly in his outstretched hand. She writhed there weightlessly, looking a bit like a fly wriggling in a spider's grip.

Merlin paused for a moment, fear gripping him.

"Even if you do destroy my runes, there's no one to bring you back. And once I'm mortal again, I'll be able to do the spell properly. I should have known better than entrust the help of a woman. Silly creatures always bend to petty emotions," Keldor said.

"You're lying," Merlin said, anger rising in his throat.

Keldor's eye widened. "Oh, so you do speak? I was beginning to think you had wet yourself. I do wonder how such a power found its way into such a sad little package."

"I could have the Earth swallow you whole with one word," Merlin growled.

"Oh you could? That would be a neat trick to see here," Keldor said. Merlin knew that Keldor wasn't afraid of him, not here. "I enjoyed watching you and your friends chase that one around like some sort of long lost unicorn. More entertainment than I've had in years, so I really _must_ thank you for that."

Merlin took a deep breath as Keldor drew nearer, his mind going to his friends. Why wasn't Keldor focused on them any longer? They couldn't be dead. He hadn't been gone that long! But why hadn't Carrow brought him back yet? It must have been longer than seven minutes by now. His breathing (futile thought it may be) increased dramatically and that dose of confidence that Carrow had given him all but disappeared.

"What? No quippy retorts? Or is it dawning on you now that you really are alone. That you've failed," Keldor said, his sneer somehow deepening as he circled Merlin, who swallowed. "Unreliable, aren't they? Witches I mean. I find it so intriguing that you chose to trust that hideous little shrew. The woman couldn't look after her own child, why would she be of any use to you?"

"Why are you still talking then? Why don't you just get rid of me?" Merlin shouted. Keldor's eyes narrowed and he tossed Sara into the side of the tree where she slumped to the ground, pain on her face. Merlin smiled as he saw this. "You can't, can you? I'm not dead yet," Merlin said. His body was still tethered to him, he could feel it there. The link was incredibly weak, but it was there.

Merlin was about to conjure up a quippy retort, but then he was hurled off his feet and into the side of the cave beside Sara.

"You are quite daft, warlock, I don't know if you noticed," Sara said irritably as she tried to pick herself up. Merlin felt as though his back had been broken. He had thought he wouldn't be able to feel pain here, although he should have seen Sara as an example that, in point of fact, you very much could feel pain. He supposed it had something to do with the mind expecting it, a habit one is not easily broken of. But if he could just assure himself that it _was_ only in his mind, that his spine _wasn't_ broken in what felt like fifty two places...

"Face it, boy, you've lost everything. You're not dead yet, but you will be very soon. Your friends will join my army of ghosts and the witch will be my conduit so that I may move between worlds and get out of the this damned forest," Keldor said.

Merlin's idea of mind over matter was proving to be right tricky indeed, but he managed to get to his feet. He glared at Keldor. The bastard was stalling. "Why is it that villains are so damn arrogant? I do want to thank you for flinging me over here, though. The spell requires contact - might not have managed if you'd tossed me in the opposite direction," Merlin said, turning around to face the cave walls. He slammed his hand against the rune Ansuz and spoke the spell that would break it.

The rune shattered. Like Merlin had guessed, it was the keystone for the rest of the runes. Their destruction followed and with that, the cave began to crumble. Merlin knew that the same thing must be happening in the physical realm. Carrow must have been waiting as long as she could to bring him back, waiting for the runes to degenerate there. He turned around to look at Keldor, who was fading and looking livid as he did so.

"He'll still be powerful once he gets back. Your friends don't know how to use the orb - they don't have the capacity to. He's just mortal, mortal and a bloody powerful sorcerer," Sara said.

"I know! Carrow should be bringing me back now!" Merlin said.

"She's probably dead," Sara said, shrugging. She sounded apathetic about the whole thing. "And you're fading fast." Merlin turned and slammed Sara into the wall of the cave.

"What happened that you are so indifferent? He could be there killing innocent men right now and you don't even care!"

"Why should I? When I gave my life to rid the world of Keldor no one cared. No one even remembers what happened in Maestag. No one mourned Kay or all those people I murdered. People are selfish, caustic creatures. If it's not happening in the here and now, they don't care," Sara said.

"No one _knew_! You left no one alive to tell anyone!"

"Lies! The people of Loxley knew what happened. But they were too ashamed to tell anyone of their cowardice - "

Suddenly Merlin felt a pain in his chest, like someone had hit him. Sara smiled.

"They're trying taking you away from me," she said.

"Are you going to do something to impede their efforts?" Merlin asked as he felt another pound on his chest, the impact forced him to the ground.

"No. Pity though. I think I would have enjoyed your company more than Keldor's. He won't talk once you get through, Merlin. There won't be stalling - he will simply strike. And he will burn himself out quickly," Sara said. "I would try to - "

He didn't catch her last bit of advice, though, as he was being sucked back into consciousness. It felt quite a bit more like falling than his death had. The effect was dizzying. Merlin blinked back purple spots and expected to see Carrow's face hovering above him - but instead it was Gwaine's.

"Gwaine, what are you doin' - " Merlin said, jumping to his feet. His head swam and he stumbled. Gwaine caught him by the arm before he fell, helping to steady him. Merlin let his head settle before he finished his sentence. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Leon and Arthur were pushing them back that way, away from you and Carrow and the cave. But they had ranged attackers from the trees - one of them got Carrow," Gwaine said stiffly. The man seemed as though he were having a very difficult time holding himself together. Merlin's chest felt as though he'd been hit by a battering ram and he assumed that was due Gwaine's insistence that Merlin get back and fix everything.

"She's dead?" Merlin asked, his heart sinking.

"She's hanging on. She told me to bring you back - it looks like you got those damn runes down. Did Sara - " Gwaine said, leading Merlin back to Carrow, clearly hoping for a miracle. Merlin waved the rogue off, running to Carrow's side. The arrow was sticking out of her belly and she was breathing erratically, choking on her own blood.

"I-I was just on my w-way to meet you," Carrow said, a smile on her face.

"It was coming at me, you idiot! It should be me lying there," Gwaine said.

"Yes, th-that occurred to m-me," Carrow said. She let out a chuckle that turned into a cough. Blood splattered across Merlin's hands.

"You're not honestly going to let a sharp bit of wood get you, are you? Because that would be a very underwhelming story to tell about the great Witch Carrow," Gwaine said. He situated himself so that Carrow was resting her head in Gwaine's lap. She grimaced dramatically at the idea of such an atrocity. "That's what I thought!"

"You - You'll have to s-spice it up a bit then," she said. She coughed again, no longer able to make light of the situation. "Merlin, Mer-Merlin listen to me. Orb's still in y-your pocket. I-I'm bait!" She clutched his hand tightly and let her eyes flutter close.

"No - No! Carrow, you come back. Stop playing your stupid games!" Merlin heart stopped for a second as Carrow slipped away. He could hear the violent clanging of swords not far away. Keldor had lost his control on the ghosts, but he wasn't certain that they would disappear instantly. He swallowed, looking at Carrow's lifeless body, Gwaine still pleading with her to stop fooling around.

Merlin and Gwaine were both hurled across the forest floor at that point. Merlin landed on a relatively soft bit of ground, thankfully and managed to get up quickly. Anger was seeping through every nerve in his body. Carrow was indeed very good bait. He collected himself and chanced a glance at Gwaine who was also struggling.

"Gwaine get to Arthur and Leon. Make sure they're safe," Merlin said in a commanding tone that sounded more like Arthur than himself.

"Yeah, I don't think so, mate," Gwaine growled, clutching his sword angrily.

"Now's not the time for vengeance, Gwaine - go help Arthur and Leon," Merlin said.

"You need my help more than they do," he insisted. Merlin didn't have time for this. He muttered a spell under his breath that flung Gwaine into a tree and knocked him out. He had already lost one friend, he wouldn't lose another tonight. Jaw clenched, he prayed that Arthur and Leon were alright. He conjured two torches to search after them, to help. Odds were the spirits were free from Keldor's torment, but that wouldn't make them any less angry.

Merlin turned to Keldor, a third torch buzzing by his head, illuminated his angry but determined face. Keldor was bending over Carrow, no doubt trying to bring her back in some manner.

"Cur tri thine," Merlin said, eyes flashing gold as he made his way towards Keldor. Fire shot from his outstretched hand. Keldor turned around just in time and slapped the ball of fire down as though it were nothing but a rogue mug thrown in a bar fight. The necromancer turned his hulking body to face Merlin, a smirk on his face.

"Boy, do not trifle with me. Not now, I'm feeling a bit irritated. Killed my own conduit!" Keldor let out a booming laugh at this. "Going to be needing a new one." Keldor sent a bright blue bolt of lightning towards Merlin. It lit up the forest for miles. Merlin recalled what Sara said about Keldor burning himself out quickly.

Merlin didn't move from where he was standing, but instead caught and absorbed the crackling energy, which caused every hair on his body to stand on end. He remembered this tactic from the fight with Nimueh. He swallowed hard as the electricity vibrated throughout his body. He had to take a moment to concentrate the stuff back out his hands. He released it back out into the world where it came from. He grinned at Keldor, unimpressed.

"So you have some skill, I see! Wonderful! It's been so long since I've had a worthy opponent," Keldor said. Merlin had no intention of dragging this out, but in order to use the orb it would be best if Keldor was at least somewhat weakened. He couldn't be interrupted while he was doing the spell that would store his magic in the orb.

Merlin muttered another spell that force pushed Keldor into a tree. Meanwhile Keldor shot off a spell, some sort of curse he hadn't heard before. Merlin didn't have time to stop it, but was faceplanted into the dirt. Boils had begun to rise on his arms, they festered and exploded - his skin was curdling before his very eyes. Panic rose in his throat. Keldor had quickly gotten to his feet.

"What's this? A simple curse and you're down for the count?" Merlin felt sick to his stomach now, as though his insides were desperately wanting to be considered as his outsides. Keldor came up to him and grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking him up off the ground. "That's pestilence you're feeling, boy. A rotting plague. It'll eat at your skin and your blood will boil your organs. You can feel it, can't you? Burning away!"

Sara appeared behind Keldor then, while he was still prattling away, she mouthed: "It's not real." She flickered out of existence then. She was still playing their guiding star, even after she'd made it very clear she didn't want to help. Merlin tried to collect his thoughts, push away the pain that was plaguing his entire body. It wasn't real? What had he done? bewitched his mind? Was that why he was still talking?

"You c-can't kill me if you want me to be y-your next conduit!" Merlin said.

"What, you? You're not going to be it. Far too thin. Brittle. I was thinking that blonde imp of yours would do the trick. And his hairy ape will work once he gives out - conduits won't last very long. The trick is that he'll have to give permission first, but once I shake you like a biscuit over his nose, I'm sure he won't be too much trouble," Keldor said. "That's the trouble with caring."

There was a loud thump and Keldor fell forward. Merlin looked up, still struggling with breaking his mind of the curse. It was so hard not to believe it wasn't real - it sure as hell _felt_ real.

"Merlin, get up! Come on! Get your ass moving!" Arthur said, lifting Merlin by the arms. Merlins seethed. It felt like Arthur was peeling his skin. "What is wrong with you? Are you a powerful, scary wizard or aren't you?" Arthur was dragging him away now. That was a great question. He had been arrogant back there. He thought he knew what he was doing, but he hadn't. He hadn't had to deal with a real sorcerer but once. And Nimueh hadn't been nearly as vile as Keldor.

"I can't do it, Arthur, I can't do it!" Merlin said drearily as Arthur dragged him away to safety.

"Can't do what? You turned off the stupid runes, you sent those torches to get us. Plan's going pretty well I think. Did Keldor come through? Where's the orb?" Merlin frowned at Arthur, confused.

"What the hell do you mean 'did Keldor come through?' He's the one you hit over the head!" Merlin said, forgetting his curse altogether in his incredulity, which seemed to do a good job of breaking it. "You could have stabbed him! Why the hell wouldn't you stab him?"

"Leon, go see if he's still unconscious. But be careful - if he's not, you keep hidden," Arthur said, turning to the knight who had been following close behind with his own sword unsheathed. Leon nodded and quickly went back the way they came. Merlin made certain a torch was following the man as he did so.

"Where's Carrow? And Gwaine?" Arthur said.

"Gwaine's passed out somewhere out there. He's fine. Carrow's…" Merlin trailed off. Arthur's jaw clenched and he swallowed heavily.

"Where's the orb?" Arthur repeated.

"It's here in my…" Merlin began, feeling around in his pocket. His eyes widened as he looked at Arthur.

"Pocket, it's in your pocket! Right? Tell me you didn't _drop_ it again!" Arthur hissed, accosting Merlin and digging around in his jacket for him. "What if that bastard has gotten a hold of it? Oh look you've still got the damn knight though!" Arthur took it out and threw it at Merlin angrily.

Arthur was incensed, for good reason, but Merlin was furious enough with himself. He didn't need Arthur's patronizing, supercilious tone right now. His torch floated around the forest floor erratically as Merlin tried to see where it would have rolled out. He grabbed the iron knight as he did so. Everything had been so confused that he hadn't even remembered feeling it drop. But he _had_ been tossed around quite a lot, it could be anywhere between there, the cave, and their camp. But Carrow had said it was in his pocket! So maybe it had just fallen out after Keldor had zapped him with that psychological plague.

"Merlin, can we kill him? Do you really need the orb? Can't we just -" Arthur started, but Merlin shushed him.

"Merlin!" he heard a muffled shout from in between his fingers. Merlin held the knight up his ear.

"Gwaine, is that you?" Merlin said.

"Yes - I've got the orb. But there are a hell of a lot of ghosts milling about. I think they're looking for Keldor and that bastard's gone and disappeared," Gwaine whispered. Arthur and Merlin were not exactly well hidden. They had only stopped in a small clearing once it looked like there was nothing else following them for the time being. "You can find me?" Gwaine asked.

"We'll be there in a minute," Merlin said. Gwaine didn't reply. His voice was gruff and void of emotion, if that was any indication of his mood - Merlin worried he might do something stupid.

"But Merlin why _can't_ we just kill him properly this time? He's got no spell, no - no conduit," Arthur said.

"I don't know what he can do. I just know I've got to rid him of his power. We need to be sure, Arthur. Now stop asking me stupid questions and come on," Merlin said, ignoring the prince's indignance at being ordered about. He hadn't quite forgotten himself in all that was going on.

Merlin didn't really want the torch bobbing around his head for fear he would attract unwanted attention, but he couldn't think of an alternative - he needed to see where he was going. There was too much else going on and he was the only one doing any of the thinking at the moment.

"_Mer_lin. We're running blind here, at least tell me - " Arthur started. Merlin clamped a hand to his mouth then, and quietly pointed at a regiment of ghosts that were marching soundlessly past them. Merlin didn't understand - why hadn't they been released? He hadn't known what exactly they would do, but a small part of him hoped they might fizzle out. Cross over. Whatever it was that happened to people once they died. When Keldor had control of them they didn't appear like they were now - but they looked as though they were soldiering on listlessly.

Merlin almost opened his mouth to ask Carrow what she thought and his heart sank as he realized she wasn't there.

As they passed, Arthur shoved Merlin's hand away crossly and glared at him. "Are you sure you broke all his runes?"

"Yes. They shattered and the cave's all but crumbled in entirely," Merlin whispered.

"Maybe the damage was already done," Arthur said.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked.

"Maybe shattering the runes closed the door to the spirit realm or what have you and now they're just stuck here, like… they're lost," Arthur said. Merlin chewed it over in his mind, but didn't reply. One problem at a damn time. He motioned for Arthur to follow him as he'd done a locator spell for Gwaine. Relatively easy since he had the other half to the knight. It got warmer as he got nearer and Merlin wondered how many different variations on the spell he'd end up creating.

"He should be just up here," Merlin said.

Merlin could hear crying now, soft sobbing in different voices coming at them from all sides of the forest. But it wasn't the intentionally eerie moans he had heard when they first got to the forest. These were genuine. The civilians of Maestag were out of their death loops, they knew where they were - and they were horrified. They had to come to terms with their deaths now and they probably weren't ready. That was why Sara was no longer popping in and out - she wouldn't be able to deal with the guilt. She had been the one to kill all these people, not Keldor. As aloof as she played it, Sara was not Keldor. She wasn't immune to her emotions.

"Shit, where the hell is he?" Arthur said. Merlin frowned as he came through the trees, expecting Gwaine to be there.

Merlin held the knight to his ear, expecting to hear Gwaine traipsing through the leaves. He should have been paying closer attention to it - the signal was going in and out. Merlin scowled at the toy.

"What is it?" Arthur asked.

"Shush," Merlin said. He hissed an impatient spell that he thought might clear up the reception. A second later, the spell took and Merlin could hear a choking noise on the other end.

"What if I spare this man's life? You seem like an honorable man. Why not give up your life for his?" Keldor said. "No? No, you don't seem very close… Very well then, what if I promised to bring back your lady once you've said yes? Look at her lying there, I can see you care for _her_ at least. I could do that, you know - " There was a brief pause and then what sounded like a punch. The knight must have fallen to the ground.

"Arthur - we've got to hurry," Merlin said, breaking into a run. He knew where they were now, back near the cave. The bastard seemed to be doing something that kept Merlin from tracking Gwaine, but that didn't matter now. He obviously had no idea Gwaine held the orb and Merlin would at least have the jump on him.

"Hold it, Merlin - look," Arthur said, grabbing Merlin's shoulder. Merlin stopped and peered into the darkness. The trees had begun to shake with wind and he thought he could make out a few sinewy figures in the distance. Then Sara appeared in front of him, causing him to flinch and take a step back.

"What do you want - "

"I told you to be vigilant! The rogue and your knight are unconscious but alive. Here is the orb," Sara said. "This will be the last help I can offer, do not waste the chance!"

" Sara, what are you - " Merlin started. Sara pressed the orb into his hands. Though he could not feel hers, he was suddenly aware of an icy chill.

"It was you! You did this to us!" Shouts came from across the forest where the ghosts had been crowded. They had sensed Sara's presence. A sad smile crept upon her features then and she blinked away. Her appearance had also alerted the ghostly knights to their presence and one appeared behind Arthur.

Merlin's ears were suddenly filled with the sound of flesh being sliced. Arthur dropped to his knees and Merlin's eyes widened in fear as he saw a phosphorescent blade poking through the prince's stomach.

"No!" Merlin shrieked. "Ligean do dhuine!"

The knights were tossed away from Arthur and Merlin as if they were only toys. Rage pounded through Merlin's body and he felt very close to erupting. It was a different sort of anger than that day at the Isle of the Blessed. It was frustration and exhaustion coursing through him. Sadness had not entered into it yet. He had worked so hard to keep Arthur safe, to finish this damn thing and nothing had gone right. Nothing _ever_ went right.

"Merlin, just go finish it - I'll be fine," Arthur said.

"You're damn right you'll be fine! Everyone will be fine!" Merlin shouted. He held his hands over Arthur's imploded stomach and spat out a spell which he had heard Carrow speak countless times. If she could do this, he damn well could. He was sick of everyone telling him he was special when he had done nothing to deserve the word - he was going to earn it. Tonight.

"Merlin, we don't have time for you to - "

"Shut your mouth," Merlin hissed, concentrating over Arthur's wound. He did the best he could for the time being. Squeezing the orb in his hand, he summoned a torch and headed back towards the cave where he thought Keldor must still be trying to find a suitable way to get himself a conduit. Merlin was not sure why he was so adamant about doing it here and now. He didn't care at the moment, either.

"Arthur you stay here. If you follow me, so help me God I will undo those stitches," Merlin said.

His pace quickened as he headed deeper into the black. There were no sinewy figures this way and Merlin couldn't help but wonder if they had managed to get a hold of Sara. He hoped they hadn't. Merlin squinted as he thought he could see flickering before him. Anger was still rising in his stomach. A fury that could only be brought on by the deepest sort of exhaustion. Because Merlin really was so _tired._ In spite of that, his skin prickled with magic that he couldn't wait to release.

He saw Keldor leaning over what looked like Carrow's body, which was quivering now. Merlin paused for a moment, watching him curiously.

"I know you're there, boy, may as well just come through," Keldor said, a laugh on the tip of his tongue.

"Don't you think you've desecrated her body enough?" Merlin asked coldly. His torch flickered over the madman who held a dripping knife over Carrow's face. Keldor had finished what he'd started. "Dead women don't make very good conduits for life."

"You're right - but she's not dead! She was only pretending earlier. She was able to stem off her blood flow with magic, but was left quite unable to do much else. Clever girl, probably hoped for you to finish your chore before you patched her up completely," Keldor said, making one last cut on the side of Carrow's neck, careful to avoid the artery.

"She hasn't said yes yet though," Merlin said.

"No, but she will. I've got quite a bit of leeway and she'd rather save you and the others than the world. Carrow would rather save the lives of the few than the many. She's not about sacrifice, this one. Selfish as hell, really," Keldor said.

"There's one problem with that though," Merlin said. Keldor raised a mocking brow.

"I don't need saving," Merlin said. Keldor gave Merlin a sly grin and threw a curse at him. A charged purple orb flew at Merlin, but Merlin deflected the crudely casted spell with one of his own. He was ready for these underhanded curses, meant to once again debunk his mind. Merlin was beginning to see that Keldor did not really have all that much in his arsenal of magic.

The necromancer spat another succession of those deep purple orbs at him, which Merlin got rid of as quickly as they came, taking a step closer to the man. Keldor _finally_ showed surprise.

"Iarracht ar dhúnmharú, comhcheilg chun dúnmharú," Keldor shrieked at Merlin. A wave of purple light overtook him. The wave should have altogether stopped his heart, toppled him to the ground. When the light cleared, however, Merlin was still standing. And wearing a rather self satisfied grin. The effect _had_ tickled a bit.

"Crith talún," Merlin said calmly. The ground began to quake underneath Keldor's feet.

"What is this, are you trying to make me loose my footing?" Keldor said, a worried laugh escaping him.

"If you recall, the last time I saw you, I told you I could have the earth swallow you if I liked," Merlin said.

"I don't think so," Keldor said. Merlin could sense he was about to enact a spell that would get him clear of the place, but Merlin had already requisitioned a few vines to trap Keldor in his place. One of them wrapped itself around the man's waist and crawled up to his face to gag him. Keldor then began to sink into the hungry earth, as though the vines were pulling him down with them. Merlin submerged Keldor up to his shoulders.

"That's quite enough out of you," Merlin said, holding up the flushed pink orb, which had already begun to glow warmly in his hand. Keldor's eyes widened in fear. Fear! Merlin didn't realize how good it would feel to be feared. He supposed that he would think that satisfaction would call for a bit of self inspection later, but for now he chose to relish it.

He began the rite which would allow him to steal Keldor's magic from him for good, trap it inside the orb. His eyes glowed a deep gold and he blocked out the rest of the forest. He hadn't realized how draining it would be to invoke the power of the orb. He noticed that he, too, was beginning to feel drained as he spoke. He could feel Keldor's power, ugly and twisted and sharp, being sucked into the orb. The man was fiercely resisting. It wasn't like Sara in the cave, who had given up - had almost pleaded for it - Keldor wasn't giving up without a fight.

And suddenly the ghosts were upon them. As though they could feel the magic which had killed them resonating within the now active orb. He could see the knights, come to seek out their tormentor and Keldor was screaming. But Merlin couldn't suspense with the spell now - he couldn't let go of the orb.

He heard the clash of swords from behind him, though.

"You never could watch your back," Arthur said, bringing his sword down and vanishing the ghost of a peasant that sought to strangle Merlin from behind. Merlin wanted to smile at the prince, at his friend, but he managed to hold his concentration while Arthur defended him.

It felt like ages, that spell. Keldor fighting him for control of his magic. Keldor's angry screams could probably be heard even in Loxley. The last sleepy tendrils of Keldor's magic found their way into the orb and then it fell silent, as did its victim.

Merlin crumpled to the ground. He had fallen asleep before he hit the ground.

####

"He's not dead, is he?" Gwaine asked.

"The torches are still floating around. I think he's just asleep," Leon muttered. "He's earned it."

"Yes, but now?" Arthur said a bit irritably.

"I don't think he can help it, mate," Gwaine replied.

"What do you want me to do with this git, Sire?" Leon said, standing over Keldor's writhing head. A vine still had him gagged, so his complaints weren't incredibly audible.

"Ugh," Arthur said. "Just… just leave him there a minute." There was a shrill sound of objection from the man, but he was positively nonthreatening with his head sticking out of the ground like that. Arthur had a very strong urge to kick him - which Leon then carried out. Arthur frowned at him.

"I thought it'd be easier to think if he was unconscious, Sire," Leon said. Arthur was about to commend Leon for the action but there was a dull moan from nearby. The torches were stuck buzzing about Merlin's head and Arthur didn't know how to make them follow him. Merlin was in charge of them.

Gwaine jumped up and went over to the source of the moan quickly though, tripping in the darkness as he did so.

"Carrow?" Gwaine said hopefully.

"I thought Merlin said she was dead!" Arthur said, following Gwaine and leaning over Carrow. His hands went to her face, but then he drew them back. They were wet. The light from the torches barely reached them and Arthur held his hands out to them and saw that they were red with blood. "Carrow, Carrow are you alright?" He grabbed her hand.

"St-stupid questions," she sputtered. "M-merlin. W-where's Merlin?" Gwaine had already gone back over to Merlin and was promptly slapping the warlock in the face.

"Gwaine!" Arthur yelled.

"We don't have a choice, do we? He can sleep later. Now wake up, Merlin!" Gwaine said. Merlin woke with a start and said something that sounded a hell of a lot like "Bacon" as he sat straight up. The wizard gathered his senses and looked from Arthur to Keldor's head, which was resting at a very awkward angle in the leaves.

"What happened?" Merlin asked groggily.

"You past out, Carrow's still alive. You've got to fix her," Gwaine said. Arthur's jaw clenched as Carrow's grip on his hand began to weaken. The torches flung themselves over to them and Merlin pulled himself over a bit more slowly.

"He's a floating head," Carrow said deliriously, chortling madly and spitting up blood. As the torches hovered over her face, Arthur could see why his hands were covered in blood from touching her. It was no longer just the one side of her face that was ruined, but both. Keldor had finished the job. Arthur squeezed her hand tighter.

"Oh ouch," she seethed, glaring at Arthur. He smiled at her weakly.

"You let me think you died," Gwaine growled at her.

"Yes, but you should have s-seen your fa -" Carrow started, but a succession of coughs seized her.

"She still might," Merlin said grumpily. "A bit of space, please, idiots." Arthur looked at Merlin, surprised at the wizard's attitude. He supposed he shouldn't be, after all he'd been through tonight. He recalled the anger he'd seen on his servant's face before he ran off after Keldor. Arthur had barely recognized him - hell, he'd actually been a bit frightened. But he should be, shouldn't he? An example of what Merlin could do was lying unconscious not thirty feet away from them. The man could probably move mountains if he was of the mind.

Arthur and Gwaine took several steps back, joining the quiet Leon as they watched Merlin work.

"You'll have to help. I'm half asleep," Arthur heard Merlin mutter to Carrow.

"Heal her face for her, too, while you're at it," Arthur whispered to Merlin.

"No," Gwaine said. "Just get rid of the new ones." Merlin paused and turned around to look at the two of them.

"Would you two like to step in?" he said shortly. "No, I didn't think so. Be quiet."

Arthur and Gwaine looked at each other sheepishly. Meanwhile, Arthur could have sworn he heard a chuckle escape Sir Leon. Several long minutes later and Carrow sat up, still wheezing slightly.

"Good. You're awake," came a drawl from behind them. Arthur whizzed around to see Sara standing there. Her appearance was quaking, like she wasn't quite able to keep herself there. Arthur wondered if Keldor's runes being broken had anything to do with that. Well, they must.

"He's still _alive_?" she said sounding absolutely disgusted as he saw Keldor's head sticking out from the undergrowth. She let out a huff and Arthur frowned at her. He straightened and his hand went to his sword. Gwaine had not had the urge to do her bidding - not as far as he knew - but his eyes darted to the rogue all the same.

"Unclench, Gwaine, I'm not here to exact revenge for that underhanded little scheme you pulled. Honestly, I thought we had something _special_," she said. She vanished for a moment, but it didn't look like she'd meant to. She reappeared five seconds later beside Merlin.

"You get that orb back to the Gorgons. And for heavensake, don't _drop_ it again," Sara said.

"Why are you here?" Merlin asked.

"Because I'm about to help a forest full of ghosts move on and I'd like someone to witness what limited altruism I still possess," Sara said. Arthur had no idea what that meant. "Also I happened across something that belongs to you." She said this to Carrow, who frowned.

"I'm sorry, do I look like I'm in the mood for any more of your psychological bullshit?" Carrow spat. Evidently she did not like the fact that Sara had abused the image of her child for the past several weeks. Arthur had been relatively pissed about the whole thing, too.

Sara ignored the outburst. "Thomas, come here now. Last chance to see your mum before we go to see the lights." Arthur's eyes followed Sara's. A hazy grey figure materialized through the trees, glowing slightly through the darkness. Arthur squinted and the figure sharpened, clarified until it almost resembled Thomas.

"He's not real," Carrow said. "Stop _doing_ this."

"Carrow, I think it is him," Merlin offered quietly.

"Mummy?" the boy said, his voice echoing slightly. It wasn't as solid as Sara's.

Carrow got up and took a reluctant step toward the boy. Something about the hazy figure told Arthur that it really was the boy's spirit. The ghost child came closer, his thumb stuck in his mouth as he looked at them a bit wonderingly. His eyes found his mother and they widened into a smile.

He ran to her then, but went right through. Tears were falling down Carrow's still scarred cheeks as she turned around to see her little boy, who had fallen.

"Mummy!" he said, reaching out to her for a hug. But she couldn't hug him. She got to her knees and let her hand hover against his incorporeal cheek. "I'm sorry I followed you, Mummy, I was a bad boy."

Carrow let out a laugh. "No! No, you weren't. Mummy was just stupid. I miss you, Tommy."

"You've got scratches like the one I got on my knee when you told me not to jump from the cart, remember?" Thomas said, he pointed at his knee to remind her. "Is that why you're crying?"

"Yes, yes. But I'll be okay. Listen, I want you to remember I love you, alright? And I'll see you again - "

"You told me not to jump from the cart, remember?" Thomas repeated. Carrow frowned at him and nodded, but he continued. "You told me not to jump - jump from the cart, remember? Is that why you're crying? Is that why you're crying?"

"What's happening to him? What is this, Sara?" Carrow said. "What's he doing?"

"He's… I'm sorry, I thought he had more time. He's fading already though. You'll have to let him go," Sara said, sighing heavily.

"What, no! You can't just take him from me like that!" Carrow shouted. She got to her feet and yanked Arthur's sword from his sheath in a motion so quick he barely saw it. She tilted the sword at Sara's throat. She was still flickering violently in and out of sight. Gwaine put a hand on Carrow's shoulder.

"Where's he going? Tell us what is happening with the ghosts," Arthur demanded.

"Tell her to get that out of my face. You're not going to disappear me before you've gotten an answer, are you?" Sara said snidely at Carrow, who made no move to lower her sword.

"Thomas moved on," Merlin said suddenly.

"What?" Carrow choked.

"He moved on, didn't he, Sara?" Merlin said. The ghost nodded.

"A few of them aren't so angry. Thomas just needed to hear that his mother wasn't mad at him, that she still loved him and that snapped him back to where he needed to be. The rest need a bit more compensation before they'll leave," Sara said.

"You're going to give yourself up," Carrow said.

"Yes, well. We'll all get our just desserts by the end of this," Sara said, smiling at Keldor who Arthur noted was beginning to regain consciousness. "I would so love to see what the Gorgons will do to you." She gave Keldor one last smirk and then held her hands up.

"Come and get it, boys," she whispered.

Wind howled through the trees and Arthur was shoved to the ground. Screams and moans were rushing toward him along with a rampage of ghosts. Arthur's veins turned to ice as the ghosts charged through him and the rest of them to get to Sara. He tried to get back to his feet, but it was no use while the wind was charged up like this. One shriek stood out among the rest - Sara's. They were ripping her apart so that they could move on. That was what she had wanted though, someone to bear witness to her last redeeming act. Someone who would speak well of her.

####

Two days later, Merlin, Arthur, Gwaine, Leon, and Carrow found themselves bidding farewell to Malorne and the spirits that hopefully no longer lingered there. The trek had been quiet, mournful even. Except, perhaps, for Keldor who was being dragged behind them on a leash of vines which bent to Merlin's will. Arthur couldn't help but notice that Carrow kicked him in the face every time he looked like he might fall asleep - Merlin had been so kind as to put a silencing spell on the man as well.

"So every time my legs start feeling stiff I think it's Sthenna making good on her end of the deal," Gwaine said as they reached the edge of the forest.

"I think we would notice if you were suddenly stone, Gwaine," Merlin said, yawning. Arthur grimaced, he had almost forgotten what they were going to do with Keldor. Truth be told he had wanted Merlin to let the bastard be buried alive.

"All the same, you can't blame me for being a bit concerned," Gwaine said.

"Merlin your village is around here somewhere, yeah?" Arthur said.

"What? Oh. Oh! Yes," Merlin said, suddenly brightening.

"I hate meeting mothers," Carrow and Gwaine said almost at once. Carrow rolled her eyes at Gwaine who was grinning at her. Arthur rolled his eyes as well, also thinking the two really did deserve each other. He could easily keep telling himself that. As soon as they dropped Keldor off at Adheman's Shrine, they could go home - things could get back to normal.

He didn't want to think that it might not necessarily be exactly as it was. But he had already made up his mind to try as hard as he could. He would keep Merlin as his servant. He wouldn't be lying to his father so much as omitting certain truths that would end up getting people killed. The decision was not as difficult as he thought it would be, either.

Merlin was his best friend and his greatest ally.

"Carrow's cooking," Arthur said, wrinkling his nose at the thought of Hunith's porridge again.

"You'll take what my mother gives you and like it, clotpole," Merlin said.

##

_So cheesy enough to be a Merlin ending? Okay, so I copped out and didn't legit kill anyone. So sue me. Mostly I just hope everything makes sense. If you're confused, unsatisfied, or just want me to add something - feel free to tell me. I'm a people pleaser. _

_Yes, that was the end of this story. It's quite obvious they drop off Keldor at the Gorgons and Sthenna turns Keldor into stone and possibly forces him to do naughty things. (Hey we don't know what those snake ladies like to do in their spare time, but whatever it is - he deserves it.) _

_After that, they go back to Camelot… where a lot has been happening and Uther will be in an uproar. Meaning yes, there's a sequel. Or will be. Involving war and dragons. As in plural. Um, so yeah, thoughts/suggestions/rage? Come at me, bro._


End file.
